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ANECDOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS 

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CHRISTIAN MINISTRY. 



BY REV. DANIEL "SMITH. 



WITH AN INTRODUCTION 



BY REV. D. W. CLARK, A. M. 



/yi 



iNa^gmrk: 

PUBLISHED BY LANE & SCOTT, 

200 Mulberry. street. 
JOSEPH LONGKING, PRINTER. 

I860. 



V> ' 






Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1850. by 
LANE & SCOTT, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern 
District of New- York. 




A 



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PREFACE. 



Philosophers lay it down as an axiom, "That our 
Creator has so formed us, and adapted us to the 
world in which we live, that the view of certain ob- 
jects and scenes in nature is fitted to excite in the 
mind certain corresponding emotions." These emo- 
tions will be those of fear or delight, grandeur or 
sublimity, according to the nature of the objects and 
scenes which inspire them. Experience and obser- 
vation teach us, that from the same primary laws of 
our nature, facts which illustrate important truths, 
or develop human motives, produce certain corre- 
sponding emotions. When, for example, we examine 
a process of reasoning, in which every part is 
brought to bear upon the point to be demonstrated, 
and in which each example and illustration gives ad- 
ditional clearness and force to the argument, we 
cannot fail to admire the skill of the writer, and we 
become sensible of an agreeable emotion. When 
we follow a Wiclif, a Huss, or a Luther, through 
his struggles for truth and the rights of conscience, 
and when we see selfishness, bigotry, and malice 
arming themselves with penal laws and instruments 



of torture, for the purpose of crushing tin 
hero, we feel deep and powerful moral emotions. 
There are passages in such narratives where we 
hold our breath, and the mind, in the intensity of 
its feelings, at once desires and dreads to reach the 
crisis. Struggling with conflicting emotions, we 
detest the tyrant, while we admire and weep over the 
hero. Thus we perceive there is a deep philosophy 
in facts. They appeal to the primary laws of our 
nature. The learned and the ignorant alike feel 
their force. It is both instructive and amusing to 
observe their effect, when skilfully used in the pul- 
pit, on the platform, or even at the bar. The very 
persons who affect to despise them — and some such 
there are — though listless and uninterested before, 
become " all eye, all ear." Thus they pay an ex- 
torted homage to the laws of their own being. So 
also it is with the reader of a well-selected and well- 
arranged book of anecdotes. Who falls asleep over 
such a book 1 And whose memory is so treacher- 
ous as to forget the principle impressed by a well- 
selected and well-told fact ] When mere didactic 
reasoning solicits in vain a record upon the tablet 
of memory, the illustrative fact records itself, and 
ofttimes indelibly too. 

The great fault of books of anecdotes has gene- 
rally been, that no principle of analysis has governed 
their construction. The materials might be good, 
but they were like the stones of Solomon's temple 
before the edifice was erected — heaped together in 
promiscuous confusion. A book of anecdotes should 



have as specific an end as any other book. The 
principles to be enforced and illustrated being first 
settled in the compiler's mind, he should go on add- 
ing fact to fact under each head, making his work 
assume the form and perform the office of a cumu- 
lative argument. 

On this principle the compiler aimed to construct 
a preceding volume— "Anecdotes for the Young, or 
Principles illustrated by Facts;" — and the same 
principle has guided him in the preparation of this 
volume.* 

The character and design of the work will be ob- 
vious to the reader. The compiler flatters himself 
that the young minister, or candidate for the minis- 
try, will derive no little advantage from the store- 
house of interesting incidents to which he is here 
introduced. The way in which Divine Providence 
led many of those who became eminent in that posi- 
tion, of which it may be truly said, 

" No post on earth affords a place 
Of equal honour or disgrace — " 

is here marked out. The piety which distinguished 
these servants of Jesus Christ, is illustrated by 
facts and examples. The skill and boldness with 
which they wielded the weapons of their spiritual 

* The plan of the former volume differs materially from any- 
other with which the compiler is acquainted. In this work he is 
much indebted to a small volume published by the London Tract 
Society. The plan of that small work was in part adopted, and 
a small portion of its contents transferred to these pages. To 
the twelve small volumes issued by the same Society the com- 
piler is much indebted. 



warfare, and the success which crowned their 
efforts, are faithfully delineated. The whole is a 
moving panorama, a life-like picture. 

Nor is this a book for young ministers merely, or 
a book for ministers of only one denomination. It 
is a genuine " Evangelical Alliajjce." Here are 
ministers from all quarters, and of all orders — 
Churchmen, Dissenters, Methodists, and Presbyte- 
rians, Baptists and Quakers, Bishops, Elders, Dea- 
cons, and Licentiates. 

Neither is it designed for ministers only. While 
its title is appropriate, and descriptive of its charac- 
ter, it is hoped and believed it will prove instructive 
and interesting in any Christian family into which it 
may find its way. That it may be numbered among 
that class of books which are properly denominated 
useful, is the devout prayer of the compiler. 

New-York, April, 1850. D. Smith. 



CONTENTS. 



EncfOents Entrotmctorg to Ministerial ^Labour, 





17 


D'Aubigne's Conflict with 
Rationalism 




The Bishop and the Birds . 


32 


57 


Dr. Coke and the young 




John Angell James 


5ft 


Minister 


85 


Amiable Instincts and Cor- 




A Chaplain and a Cadet . . . 


36 


rect Deportment not 




A Thrilling Exordium 


4(1 


Christian Piety 


R9 


Rev. W. E. Miller and his 




Rev. John Brown / 


03 


Violin 


42 


Value of a Half-Guinea. . 


65 




43 
45 


The Voice of "Assurance" 
Dr. Coke 


67 




70 


Rev. Mr. Robinson 


47 


Luther on Pilate's Stair- 






47 




m 


by Kindness 


" Behold how great a mat- 




Dr. Vanderkemp 


4y 


ter a little fire kindleth". 


m 


The Prodigal Reclaimed. . . 


50 


Rev. George Whitefield. . . 


91 


Too much Money and too 




Interesting Meeting 


94 


little Work 


52 
53 




95 


Rev. T. Robinson 


Rev. William Tennent 


96 


Something in the Gospel 




Rev. Gideon Ouseley 


98 




54 
54 




MM 


Rev. Solomon Stoddard 


Rev. J. W. Fletcher 


102 


Dr. Chalmers 


55 


Rev. Alexander Henderson 104 



Ministerial character. 

EMINENT PIETY. 



Rev. J. W. Fletcher 106 

Turning all Tilings into 

Prayer 109 

Bishop Andrews 110 

Rev. James Hervey Ill 

Rev. Thomas Walsh Ill 

Rev. John Smith 120 



Rev. William Bramwell ... 124 

Archbishop Usher 125 

Rev. Mr. Rogers 125 

Rev. Mr. Shepherd 126 

Rev. Thomas Hooker 126 

Rev. Mr. Blackerby 127 



P«*0 PftM 

Durham 127 Rev. J. W. Fletcher .... i& 

ilishopllutton 12^ K. v. Robert Hall . . 131 

Dr. Cotton Mather 128 Rev. James Hervey '. 131 

SELF-DENIAL. 

^ ev ;,??f don Hal1 132 Rev - J - W. Fletcher 135 

J^ r - walhs 132 Wesley and Nelson in 

Rev. Joseph Hughes 133 '-Cornwall 135 

Rev. John Howe 134 Martin Luther 136 

Rev. George Whitefield . . . 134 Bishop Berkley 138 

BENEVOLENCE. 

John Elliott 138 He that giveth to the Poor 

John Wesley 13'J lendeth to the Lord 

Rev. Bernard Gilpin 14G Rev, J. C. Lavater. . . . 150 

An Angel of Mercy Hf, John Fox 153 

Bishop of St. Asaph 147 Rev. J. W. Fletcher .....".' 154 

Bishop Butler 150 

CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 

Praying and Giving 157 Preaching for a Crown .. . 1G5 

The Praying Shepherd ... . 157 "Support your character, 

Nothing lost by keeping the and we willrespect you" 106 

Sabbath 158 Dr. Waugh ... 167 

Rev. D. Brown 159 Rev. John Campbell. . . " ' i«8 

Rev. T. Robinson 160 Rev. Thomas Scott ... . 169 

Rev. S. Walker 161 Rev. John Howe . . 170 

Rev. Mr. Kelly 162 Rev. R. M. M'Cheyne. '. '. ! , 171 

V e . v - £ r - chalm ers 163 Dr. Adam Clarke 172 

Jolin Nelson 164 

FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES. 

Archbishop Cranmer 176 Rev. W. Herring. 17ft 

Rev. George Wishart 177 

MEEKNESS UNDER PROVOCATIONS. 
The Patriarch of Alexan- Rev. John Elliott . 



dria.. 



Dr. W^all i ^ 

ItsvMr,p;:U m Esi 1 ...'V : h Richm ta 1 1-3 

Rev. Mr. Deenng iso Rev. John Cotton 1-1 

Rev. J. W. Fletcher lbl The Italian Bishop l-i 

CONFIDENCE IN TIIK HOUR OF TRIAL. 

Bev. Oliver Heywodd 186 The Missioatriee tad the 

Rev Mr. Nosworthy 168 Privateer M 



CONTENTS. y 

SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 

Page Page 

Revolting Avowal 191 "I should have left ray Bi- 

Rev. John Cotton 192 ble, and brought my Die- 
Rev. John Wesley 193 tionary " 197 

Rev. Dr. Evans 193 Rev. J. Thorowgood 197 

" A Man cannot feed upon Dr. Chalmers 198 

Flowers"..; 194 Pulpit Eloquence 199 

Dr. Manton 194 Bishop Hurd 203 

Rev. Dr. Campbell 195 Important Caution 203 

Rev. Andrew Fuller 196 

IMPROVEMENT OF TIME. 

Redeeming the Time 204 Rev. Dr. Doddridge 211 

Rev. John Wesley 204 Rev. R. Cecil 211 

Rev. Matthew Wilkes 206 Whitefield and Tennent. . . 211 

Rev. S. Brewer 206 Rev. Joseph Alleine 213 

Bishop Hall 207 Rev. Thomas Shepherd ... 213 

Leang Afa 210 

COMPASSION FOR THE PERISHING. 

Rev. J. W. Fletcher 214 Rev. John Smith 219 

The Preacher and the Rob- The Lazar House. . . . : 220 

bers 217 

FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 

Rev. J. W. Fletcher and Rev. John Welsh 240 

his Nephew 222 Rev. Samuel Wesley 243 

Latimer and Henry Vffl... . 225 Mr. Ouseley and Lord 243 

Andrew Marvell 226 Rev. R. Cecil 245 

A Minister Challenged 227 Andrew MelviJJe and James 

Preach the Truth, andleave VI 246 

Events to God 228 Rev. David Dickson and 

The Minister and the Dying the Robbers 247 

Robber 229 Wiclif 248 

Danger and Deliverance . . 237 Rev. H. Martyn 249 

From the Closet to the Rev. Mr. Berridge and the 

Pulpit 239 Bishop 250 

Robert Hall and his Socin- Pastor Oberlin 251 

ian Hearer 239 

Uarfous if&ettiofcs of Usefulness. 

PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 

Street Preaching— Conver- Fruit seen after many Days 257 

sion of a Clergyman 254 Dost thou well to be An- 

Conversion of Rev. Mr. No- gry * 259 

ble 256 Rev. John Smith 260 



10 






Rev. Mr N 



I ■ 






fadae. 274 

.... 270 
iral 

«0 

Conversion of General Rus- 
sell and Lady 283 

273 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 



The Broken Wing 300 

Rev. Mr. Venn and the Inn- 
keeper 301 

Rev. Robert S 
All ... 302 

John Fox and Mrs. Honi- 
wood 304 

Rev. R. Cecil 3(>5 

Rev. E. W. Miller 3<)6 

An Experiment 

Samuel llick 309 



The Ear Trumpet held 



A Word fitly Spoken 

:.-.: Smith 

: the 

Earl of Huntingdon 291 

and Howard 293 

Ri -v. Mr. Dodd and a 

blernan 

Rev. W. E. MiRer 2% 

Bar. Dr. Spring 

I'RAYER. 

Rev. John Janeway 310 Luther's Prayer for Me- 

Praying lor Fair Weather . 313 lancthon 314 

The Prayer of Faith shall Deliverance of New-Eug- 
B&ve the Sick 314 land 316 

* SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 

Pursuing the Sinner 318 Alexander Patrick 

Rev. John Smith and the "Lord, 

Corporal 310 Rev. .John R\ 

Rev. J. Smith and tho Pub- •• 1 shall thank God through 

'•can 320 all Eternity that 1 

.... 325 saw you" 343 



REPROOF. 



Caustic Retort-Mr. Spenco 



Rev. Mr. Dodd 358 



and the Scullers 

I Way 319 The ( 



I 

Rev. William Dawson 

Samuel Hick and theMIsi 

hton and ram.-. . ;<:.<; \ v 
Ri ■ i" Waugh 



; and Jus- 






CONTENTS. 



11 

Pago 
. 365 



Rev. Samuel Wesley, Sen. 361 The Extinguisher 

" How many miles did you Professor Halyburton. 3do" 

walk in Scotland?" 362 Abstruse Questions 366 

The Defective Mill 363 John Fox and Bishop Ayl- 

A Ready Answer 364 mer 366 



" There's nae Strife here". 368 
Rev. Mr. Kilpin 371 



Dr. Twiss and the Orphan. 371 
Rev. D. Anderson 375 



33robnientfal JSelfbevaiices ati& Sitpjitfes. 



Du Moulin 373 

Dr. Cole and Elizabeth Ed- 
monds 373 



Rev. D. Anderson 375 

Rev. M. Thorowgood 376 

Rev. Gilbert Rule 377 



JBgiVLQ STestfmoitfeH. 

John Huss 378 Rev. William S. Pease. . . 

Jerome of Prague 378 All forgotten but Christ. . 

George Wishart 379 Rev. John Hyatt 387 

Bradford 379 Stephen Beek 

James Durham 380 Henry Venn.. 



Samuel Rutherford. , 

Claude 

Charles Wesley . 

Rev. Mr. G 

Edward Payson.. 



Stephen Beekman Bangs. . 388 
390 



Halvburton 391 

381 Bishop Beveridge 392 

382 Augustus M. Toplady 393 

382 Joseph Benson 393 

384 Thomas Scott 394 



J&tscellaneous filhtstratfona. 



Happy Blustration 396 

Power of the Truth 397 

The Bible in Khassee 398 

Your Visit is Kind, but 

Late 399 

The Rationalist and the Pe- 
nitent 400 

Experience a Sure Test. . . 402 

Prayer a Privilege 405 

Prayer in Affliction 407 

Pray and Succeed 409 

The Eyes Opened 410 

Ye Ask Amiss 412 

The Method of Approach. . 413 
Ask for the Right Things. . 414 

Prayer a Defence 416 

Repeating Sermons 416 

Partiality to Ourselves 422 



John Wilmot, Earl of Ro- 
chester 423 

Love for the Closet 424 

Converted Astronomer. . . . 424 
Rev. J. W. Fletcher. . , . . . 425 

Evidence of Depravity 425 

Keep thy Heart with all 

Diligence 426 

Difference between the 

Doubting Christian and 

the Skeptic 427 

Love is all the Graces 

Combined , . 427 

The Devout Christian 428 

Great Losses by Religion.. 428 
A Compliment to the Sex. 430 

Cecil in Sickness 431 

Elated and Depressed 431 



12 

F*r* P«r* 
lies. 441 
:.i- No B i Law.. 44* 
432 The beat met 

- Message 43 1 

134 ten ma) 

er at Borne 435 wmnl be at- 

435 tribal 444 

436 445 

" In what manner do you 

436 446 

i Prayer 437 447 

kinst Speculations 437 : elory 

l Work« 439 In II 

Moral Frcidoiu 441 David Uume 



INTRODUCTION. 



Whitefield, from a boy, talked of becoming a minister. 
"But," said be, on one occasion, "I sball not tell stories 
in the pulpit, like old Cole ;" referring to a preacher distin- 
guished for reciting anecdotes, but without sympathy, pa- 
thos, or power. In due time Whitefield entered the ministry, 
and began to wield this element of oratorical power with 
unparalleled effect. The old man then quietly remarked, 
"I find that young Whitefield can now tell stories^in the 
pulpit, as well as old Cole." The importance of illustration, 
and especially of illustrative facts, has been rarely insisted 
upon, even in works upon homiletics and pulpit eloquence, 
to that degree to which it is fairly entitled. A solid, mas- 
sive argument, without figure, without illustration, moving 
onward from its premises, patiently removing the obstacles 
in its way, deliberately interweaving the successive links 
of its chain, till the whole is complete, and the conclusion 
has been reached, might possibly be sufficient for the mere 
logician, the mere thinker ; but to the great mass of both 
educated and uneducated men, unless the subject possessed 
an interest beyond that of the argument, it would appear 
dull, tiresome, and heavy. They would require something 
to relieve the tedium of the process ; would seek relief from 
that intense, and almost painful mental effort necessary to 
thread the complicated windings of the logical process. 
Nay, it is often difficult for the mind readily to follow out 
a strictly logical train of reasoning, perceiving at once the 
afiinity and coherence of the subordinate parts, and like- 



1 1 

And i h unlike 

of the latter, can well attest to the us -tratioiu 

truth, and also in fixing imk-lil.lv that truth in thi 

judicious juvenile educal 

pictorial 
which juvenile 

which the jui: 
day-school tear' will not 

fan* to employ for the ; young, rerhaj 

is no department of education in which this a 
lion can be employed with more power and t 
minds of the yuun^, than upon moral and reli 
Truth is personified, and stands before the wind's 
sdl the distinetiu .-.•; of a Living verity. That which 
predica t ed of children and youth is also true of I 
majority of hearers. He has studied human natui\ 
little put] not discovered the ] 

and truthful illustration. Whol ved a previously 

congregation excited I 

■ 
didactic discussion of the subject fa: 
tratiou . 

impressed. The- mini 
Uiviuc I. mded with beautiful and iw] 

illuatrati 
and affective el< 

4 oaetannor, simile, parable, and classical allusion, 
all have their si^'uili' i 



introduction/ 15 

is there opened so comprehensive, rich, and varied a store- 
house, from which the minister may draw material to give 
point and edge to his truth, as in that of illustrative fact. 

But the employment of such material must be to illustrate, 
and the discourse must have in itself the principle to be 
illustrated. To employ illustrations when you have nothing 
to illustrate, to use them as a substitute for substantial 
truth, or as a means of extending the discourse, is the work 
of a wrong judging or unskilful workman. To use them 
without proper adaptation of subject, feeling, pathos, into- 
nation, is to use them as "old Cole" did, and not as did 
" young Whitefield." The heart must be moved, the spirit 
must flow, or the illustration will be tame, lifeless, ineffect- 
ive. Whitefield infused the very soul of his genius into the 
incidents and illustrative facts that shot forth like so many 
meteors from the body of his discourse. They flashed upon 
the understanding, they burned into the heart, and long did 
they leave their impression there. 

But there are other and scarcely less important ends to be 
accomplished, by such collections of interesting and in- 
structive facts as those teeming in this little volume, and 
another previously given to the public by the same author. 
They place before the Christian examples to be admired and 
imitated. They erect beacon lights, and raise a warning 
voice, where dangers are to be apprehended. Is a young man 
meditating whether it be his duty to enter the sacred minis- 
try ? Here may he find light in the experience of the godly 
and successful. Here, too, are illustrated the graces of mi- 
nisterial character, presented, not in the dry, didactic for- 
mula of the schools, but in the light of living example. Is 
instruction needed by the Christian on various points of 
duty ? Here may be found most valuable and timely sug- 
gestions in the example of others, in like manner beset 
and perplexed. Facts are suggestive, and here a fund of 
such material has been gathered ; not carelessly huddled 
. into one confused mass to make out a book, but culled by 



16 

the hand of a matter, and pruned and arrangad with the 
skill and severity of a 

The Christian minister who aims only to be logical, «ho 
employs argument, but eschews illustration, U neglectful of 

trations. The private Christian, who tarns aside from the 
narration of brief and appropriate illustrations, that have 
ban 0tamd ban lax n ec*d • • I Um • tpmSmm mi Una^ 
of men, is neglectful of one oi urces of moral 

and spiritual improver Lstian parent and the 

Sunday-school teacher who do not avail themselves of inci- 
dent anil u-ntion, «"HghtCT the 
ttnderstantliii_', :iii'l impress the heart, will rarely become 
successful eiln. . A volume pro- 
■v i« 1 i iilt materials for Buch ;i w-rk. is a rich store-house of 
i i)\<\ useful ki -med by 
the Christian jmMie. 

Sm-Tmrif A^nf, I L». w. 



CHRISTIAN MINISTERS. 



INCIDENTS INTRODUCTORY TO MINISTERIAL 
LABOUR. 



MARTIN LUTHER. 

" My parents," said Luther, " were very poor. My 
father was a wood-cutter, and my mother has often 
carried the wood on her back that she might earn 
wherewith to bring up us children. They endured 
the hardest labour for our sakes." John Luther, the 
father of little Martin, gradually made his way, and 
established two small furnaces for iron. The child 
grew up by the side of these forges, and with the 
earnings of this industry his father was able to send 
him to school. In those days fear was regarded as 
the grand stimulus in the business of education. 
" My parents," said Luther, in after life, " treated 
me severely, so that I became timid. They truly 
thought they were doing right, but wanted discern- 
ment." At school the poor child was treated with 
even greater severity. The master flogged him fif- 
teen times in one day. " It is right," said Luther, 
relating this fact, " it is right to correct children, 
2 



18 K0DI7CT0RY TO 

but at the tame time we 

school of the I 

was cast u{m.ii the world, withoul 
\ 

■•■is still pre- 
via ac- 

Uttle food to tapply cur wants. One day about 
Christ i: ther through 

hl)ouriiiL r villages, from hi 

: the usual carols on the infant 
born at Bethlehem. 

ant's house which stood detached from the 
[tremity of thi 
1 
food which he infant to • d, in a 

rough loud voice, ' When 

lied ;it 1 

We had no reason to fear, for tin 1 peasant offe 

S ; hut our !. 
doubt bt ' from the threats and tyranny 

which tin- masters then used towards their e 
>o thai 1 with sudden fri 

.11 after 

the food that le 1 <•:: 
Luther, "that we tremble and the when OU 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 19 

science is guilty and alarmed. Then we are afraid 
even of the help that is offered us, and of those who 
are our friends, and wish to do us good." 

Often the poor modest boy, instead of bread, re- 
ceived nothing but harsh words. More than once, 
overwhelmed with sorrow, he shed many tears in 
secret ; he could not look to the future without 
trembling. 

One day, in particular, after having been repulsed 
from three houses, he was about to return fasting to 
his lodging, when, having reached the Place St. 
George, he stood before the house of an honest 
burgher, motionless, and lost in painful reflections. 
Must he, for want of bread, give up his studies, and 
go to work with his father in the mines of Mansfeld l 
Suddenly a door opens, a woman appears on the 
threshold — it is the wife of Conrad Cotta, a daughter 
of the burgomaster of Eilfeld. Her name was Ur- 
sula. The chronicles of Eisenach call her " the 
pious Shunammite," in remembrance of her who so 
earnestly entreated the prophet Elijah to eat bread 
with her. This Christian Shunammite had more than 
once remarked young Martin in the assemblies of the 
faithful : she had been affected by the sweetness of 
his voice and his apparent devotion. She had heard 
the harsh words with which the poor scholar had 
been repulsed. She saw him overwhelmed with 
sorrow before her door ; she came to his assistance, 
beckoned him to enter, and supplied his urgent wants. 

Conrad approved his wife's benevolence ; he even 
found so much pleasure in the society of young 



TO 

a few flays ai 

I 

I 
in the l 

■ 

forth, and w 

order i<> r» ad the nam< s <>f ihc a 
■ • 
■ like it till that h<".ir. II 
— il is :i Bible ! a r 

with astonishment at fin ' 
than tli 

which th.> Church ! t.» the 

:u thnr plac< 

Pill then he ha 1 th< 

■ 

he had no id< i! 11 
h;in<l all the Scri] 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 21 

the young Samuel. He reads, and can scarcely re- 
strain his joyful emotion. This child, whom his pa- 
rents lend to the Lord as long as he liveth ; Hannah's 
song, in which she declares that the Lord raiseth up 
the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar 
from the dunghill, to set him among princes ; the 
young Samuel, who grows up in the temple before the 
Lord ; all this history, all this revelation which he 
has discovered, excites feelings till then unknown. 
He returns home w T ith a full heart. " !" thought 
he, " if God would but give me such a book for my 
own !" Luther did not yet understand either Greek 
or Hebrew. It is not probable that he should have 
studied those languages during the first two or three 
years of his residence in the university. The Bible 
that had filled him with such transport was in Latin. 
He soon returned to the library to find his treasure 
again. He read and re-read, and then, in his sur- 
prise and joy, he went back to read again. The first 
gleams of a new truth then arose in his mind. 

In the summer of 1505, Luther was returning 
from a visit to his parents. He was within a short 
distance of Erfurth, when he was overtaken by a 
violent storm. The thunder roared ; a thunderbolt 
sunk into the ground by his side. Luther threw 
himself on his knees. His hour is perhaps come. 
Death, judgment, eternity, are before him in all their 
terrors, and speak with a voice which he can no 
longer resist. " Encompassed with the anguish and 
terror of death," as he himself says, he makes a vow, 
if God will deliver him from this danger, to forsake 



. TO 

thought 

I ! 
fulfil a! 

h a |K)llutcd soul, appear 

must become 

w thirsts after holiness as he had 

knowledge. Hut where shall he find 

II :ed* The university has 

furnished him with the means < : his first 

Who will assuage this angui. : 
meal desire that <•< flo what 

school of holiness ran he direct Ins steps ' 1 

.salvation. II 

heart, to cleanse the sinner, to make 

:'• •! ' He will enter into a in 

ile wiD ' thus ensure 

at that changed th< 

the who! .odwas 

in it. It was that powerful hand th;i' 
ground the \ | to the 

bar, the intended jurisconsult, to give an < 
life. 
Luther re eaten Brfarth. His reaofotion 
alterable. Still, it is with rehictance that 1 1 

He. 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 23 

does not communicate his design to any of his com- 
panions. But one evening he invites his college 
friends to a cheerful and simple repast. Music once 
more enlivens their social meeting. It is Luther's 
farewell to the world. Henceforth the companions 
of his pleasures and studies are to be exchanged for 
the society of monks ; cheerful and witty discourse 
for the silence of the cloister ; merry voices, for the 
solemn harmony of the quiet chapel. God calls 
him ; he must sacrifice all things. Now, however, 
for the last time, let him give way to the joys of his 
youth ! The repast excites his friends. Luther 
himself encourages their joy. But at the moment 
when their gay ety is at its height, the young man can 
no longer repress the serious thoughts that occupy 
his mind. He speaks. He declares his intention 
to his astonished friends ; they endeavour to oppose 
it ; but in vain. And that very night Luther, per- 
haps dreading their importunity, quits his lodgings. 
He leaves behind his books and furniture, taking 
with him only Virgil and Plautus. (He had not yet 
a Bible.) Virgil and Plautus ! an epic poem and 
comedies ! Singular picture of Luther's mind ! 
There was, in fact, in his character the materials of 
a complete epic poem ; beauty, grandeur, and sub- 
limity ; but his disposition inclined to gayety, wit, and 
mirth ; and more than one ludicrous trait broke forth 
from the serious and noble ground- work of his life. 

Furnished with these two books, he goes alone in 
the darkness of the night to the convent of the her- 
mits of St. Augustine. He asks admittance. The 



I TO 
Mgftffttod from hil | ir< i«t-. froa hi^ companion* in 

It WW tl:< 

lonths old. 
monks had received him j 

■ 

for :\ bOQM 

I 
cluck, ' 
■ 

>>'J hi* 
ur bag 
through the town '" cried the bi 
with hi .^ed to go i 

and perhaps at the d 
had been eithi 

. 

it was with I; .1 that he I 

monk. 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR, 25 

to regard the satisfying of the flesh 1 ? Not thus 
could he acquire the humility, the holiness, that he 
had come to seek within the walls of a cloister. 

The poor monk, overwhelmed with toil, eagerly 
availed himself of every moment he could snatch 
from his degrading occupations. He sought to re- 
tire apart from his companions, and give himself up 
to his beloved studies. But the brethren soon per- 
ceived this, came about him with murmurs, and 
forced him to leave his books : " Come, come ! it is 
not by study, but by begging bread, corn, eggs, fish, 
meat, and money, that you can benefit the cloister." 
And Luther submitted, put away his books, and re- 
sumed his bag. Far from repenting of the yoke he 
had taken upon himself, he resolved to go through 
with it. Then it was that the inflexible persever- 
ance with which he ever prosecuted the resolutions 
he had once formed began to develop itself. His 
patient endurance of this rough usage gave a power- 
ful energy to his will. God was exercising him first 
with small trials, that he might learn to stand firm in 
great ones. Besides, to be able to deliver the age 
in which he lived from the miserable superstitions 
under which it groaned, it was necessary that he 
should feel the weight of them. To empty the cup, 
he must drink it to the very dregs. 

This severe apprenticeship did not, however, last 
so long as Luther might have feared. The prior of 
the convent, upon the intercession of the university 
of which Luther was a member, freed him from the 
mean offices the monks had imposed upon him. The 



rr. ODUCTOtT TO 

J«mg monk then resumed hi* studies wit 

• draw wi*! 
pure »«; 

tcned by a . 

but lit- rnoatab- 

t abore 

-l's win 
—to innvasr in n and to 

Burning with the 
he had sought in t! 

f of an aacc 

and w:itohin ? s. Shut up in h. 
BOD, hr was rontiir 

! inclinations of his heart. \ 
head, a single herring, ■ 

h<- had Irnrned that I 

■■ nt himself with th- 

thi-r without 
- did not find, in th« 

tat nd tnooi 

II 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 27 

His conscience, enlightened by the Divine Word, 
taught him what it was to be holy ; but he was filled 
with terror at rinding, neither in his heart nor in his 
life, the transcript of that holiness which he con- 
templated with wonder in the Word of God. Me- 
lancholy discovery ! and one that is made by every 
sincere man. No righteousness within ; no righte- 
ousness in outward action ; everywhere omission 
of duty — sin, pollution. The more ardent, Luther's 
natural character, the more powerful was this secret 
and constant resistance of his nature to that which 
is good, and the deeper did it plunge him into despair. 

The monks and theologians encouraged him to do 
good works, and in that way satisfy the divine 
justice. " But what works," thought he, " can pro- 
ceed out of a heart like mine ? How can I, with 
works polluted even in their source and motive, stand 
before a Holy Judge !" — " I was, in the sight of God, 
a great sinner," says he ; " and I could not think it 
possible for me to appease him with my merits." 

A tender conscience led him to regard the least 
sin as a great crime. No sooner had he detected it, 
than he laboured to expiate it by the strictest self- 
denial ; and that served only to make him feel the 
inutility of all human remedies. " I tormented my- 
self to death," says he, "to procure for my troubled 
heart and agitated conscience peace in the presence 
of God : but, encompassed with thick darkness, I no- 
where found peace." 

His bodily powers failed, his strength forsook him ; 
sometimes he was motionless as if dead. 



TORT TO 

-ing a sweet 
■ys been a bc 

could restore to him .mother 

\ 

1 
: 

■ 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 29 

fasting, and watching, so that you might count his 
bones. His eyes, which were afterwards compared 
to a falcon's, were sunk ; his demeanour was deject- 
ed ; his countenance expressed a soul agitated with 
severe conflicts, but yet strong and capable of en- 
durance. There was in his whole appearance some- 
thing grave, melancholy, and solemn. Staupitz, who 
had acquired discernment by long experience, easily 
discerned what was passing in that mind, and at 
once distinguished the young monk from all his com- 
panions. He felt drawn towards him, had a kind 
of presentiment of his singular destiny, and soon ex- 
perienced for his inferior a paternal interest. He, 
like Luther, had been called to struggle ; he could 
therefore understand his feelings. He could, above 
all, show him the path to that peace which he had 
himself found. What he was told of the circum- 
stances that had induced the young Augustine to 
enter the convent, increased his sympathy. He 
enjoined the prior to treat him with more mildness. 
He availed himself of the opportunities his office 
afforded for gaining the confidence of the young 
monk. He approached him affectionately, and en- 
deavoured in every way to overcome the timidity 
of the novice — a timidity increased by the respect 
and fear that he felt for a person of rank so exalted 
as that of Staupitz. 

His venerable guide proves to him that there can 
be no real conversion, so long as man fears God as 
a severe judge. " What will you say, then," cries 
Luther, " to so many consciences, to whom are pre- 



KV TO 



usand insupportable penance* »• 

irs this answer from the ncar-geucral 
— or rather he do»- .hat it cornea from a 

>ru bea- 

I 
teoueneas.* .ome fancy to he the 

tf only its be- 

is good, you 

who has first 

Luther l it em, u ;n . Theae eonao- 

811 him with 

■rfully by these su . 
salutary wn 

Still the work was not finished. The vicar-gen- 
! prepared it. I 

malady that brought him n Um gates of tin- prare. 

■ 

IT \ri HiinmaoL 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 31 

holiness again disturbed his mind. One day when 
he was overwhelmed with despair, an old monk en- 
tered his cell, and spoke kindly to him. Luther 
opened his heart to him, and acquainted him with 
the fears that disquieted him. The respectable old 
man was incapable of entering into all his doubts, as 
Staupitz had done ; but he knew his Credo, and he 
had found there something to comfort his own heart. 
He thought he would apply the same remedy to the 
young brother. Calling his attention therefore to 
the Apostle's creed, which Luther had learned in his 
early childhood at the school of Mansfeld, the old 
monk uttered in simplicity this article : " i" believe 
in the forgiveness of sins." These simple words, 
ingeniously recited by the pious brother at a critical 
moment, shed sweet consolation in the mind of Lu- 
ther. "I believe," repeated he to himself on his 
bejl of suffering, " I believe the remission of sins." 
" Ah," said the monk, " you must not only believe 
that David's or Peter's sins are forgiven : the devils 
believe that. The commandment of God is that we 
believe our own sins are forgiven." How sweet 
did this commandment appear to poor Luther ! 
" Hear what St. Bernard says, in his discourse on 
the Annunciation," added the old brother. " The 
testimony which the Holy Ghost applies to your 
heart is this : ' Thy sins are forgiven thee.'' " 

From that moment the light shone into the heart 
of the young monk of Erfurth. The word of grace 
was pronounced, and he believed it. He renounced 
the thought of meriting salvation — and trusted him- 






19 811 » •"><•• 

i . — 

ale boy resided at 

u little | 

Dmmbe. Bii ptri alinott 

■ 



ty t sou 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 33 

it was in vain to ask his father to send him to school, 
for he knew that his parents had no money to pay 
the schoolmaster ; and he often passed the whole day 
thinking, whilst he was gathering the juniper-ber- 
ries, what he could possibly do to please the school- 
master, in the hope of getting some lessons. One 
day when he was walking sadly along, he saw two 
of the boys belonging to the school trying to set a 
bird-trap, and he asked one what it was for. The 
boy told him that the schoolmaster was very fond 
of fieldfares, and that they were setting the trap to 
catch some. This delighted the poor boy, for he 
recollected that he had often seen a great number 
of these birds in the juniper-w T ood, where they came 
to eat the berries, and he had no doubt but he could 
catch some. 

The next day the little boy borrowed an old basket 
of his mother, and when he went to the wood he 
had the great delight to catch two fieldfares. He 
put them in the basket, and tying an old handker- 
chief over it, he took them to the schoolmaster's 
house. Just as he arrived at the door, he saw the 
two little boys who had been setting the trap, and 
with some alarm he asked them if they had caught 
any birds. They answered in the negative ; and the 
boy, his heart beating with joy, gained admittance 
into the schoolmaster's presence. In a few words 
he told how he had seen the boys setting the trap, 
and how he had caught the birds to bring them as a 
present to the master. 

" A present, my good boy !" cried the school- 
3 



TO 

master ; " you do not look as if yon could afford to 

,,, fe I .. MRa I • 'I ::." \<-nr ;»n<»-. and 1 u 

it to too, aod (hank you besides." 

•mid rather tftve ihem to yo<.. 
please," amid the boy. 

! at ihe boy who stood be- 
fore him, with bare bead ami feet, and ragg. 

bout do- 

--M. flight, 

aid like better than 

tsked the schoolmaster, smiling. 
boy, falling on hi* 
knee . kind sir, U 

una to 
bin at ' 

■ commonded him to a nobleman 

was as noble in mmd m in birth, patronized the poor 
■i nsj li it ■« u> taboo) at Katudxm. The boy 
• limine* ; ami when he roee, as 
! fares as his arm*. 

*• I in. .in."' returned t srtti a smile, 

•• that I! \>as MYBKLT." 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 35 

DR. COKE AND THE YOUNG MINISTER. 

The following interesting anecdote was related by 
Dr. Coke to his brother-in-law : — 

In attempting to cross a river in America, Dr. 
Coke missed the ford, and got into deep water ; he 
and his horse were carried down the stream, and 
were in considerable danger ; he caught hold of a 
bough, and with some difficulty got upon dry land ; 
his horse was carried down the stream. After dry- 
ing his clothes in the sun, he set out on foot, and at 
length met a man, who directed him to the nearest 

village, telling him to inquire for a Mrs. , from 

whom, he had no doubt, he would receive the kindest 
treatment. Dr. Coke found the good lady's house, 
and received all the kindness and attention she could 
show him ; messengers were sent after his horse, 
which was recovered and brought back. The next 
morning he took leave of his kind hostess, and pro- 
ceeded on his journey. After a lapse of five years, 
Dr. Coke happened to be in America again. As he 
was on his way to one of the annual conferences, in 
company with about thirty other persons, a young 
man requested the favour of being allowed to con- 
verse with him ; he assented with Christian polite- 
ness. The young man asked him if he recollected 
being in such a part of America about five years ago ; 
he replied in the affirmative. " And do you recol- 
lect, sir, in attempting to cross the river, being nearly 
drowned 1" "I remember it quite well." "And 
do you recollect going to the house of a widow lady 



in such a village 1" " I remeti 

the showed inc." M Ail! do you remember, 

• 
hum "• ■• : 

I might do SO.*' r," amid 

th-' fmmgman, "y»udid leave there ft tract, which 
v read, and li ^ed the reading of 

..<• conrersio: 
means < 

ighboura; and there is no ago, a 

• 

ail. 1 

winch he accompany 

i resting stat* : ts was 

M . 
- 

urt since a \> 

.:<■*. During a condition 
•t universal 

the ministry of one nan, set for the defence i 

-coined for ;i make nut the least 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 37 

way, suddenly almost, in a very few days, many 
minds without communication with one another, 
and without personal intercourse with the minister, 
appeared deeply, and almost simultaneously interest- 
ed in the great matters of eternal life. Officers as 
well as cadets participated in this, and to such an 
extent, that the minister's study was soon occupied 
every evening- with assemblies, composed of both, 
for prayer and the exposition of the word of God ; 
and a serious impression, more or less deep and 
abiding, was spread over a large part of the whole 
military community. Several became at that period 
very decided soldiers of Christ. Many others re- 
ceived impressions then, which God has since ripen- 
ed into manifest and energetic piety. Many more 
received the seed of the word, in whom, though it 
seemed to die, it has since, under the continued in- 
fluence of the Spirit, sprung up and brought forth 
fruit. Some are still in military life. Others have 
been, long since, adorning the Christian profession 
in the ministry of the gospel. 

The very first appearance of this work of grace, 
so remarkably and singularly the work of God, was 
the coming of a cadet, alone and most unexpectedly, 
to introduce himself to the chaplain, and unburden 
the sorrows of a contrite heart. All around him 
was coldness and skepticism. To speak decidedly 
in favour of religion was then so unusual in the aca- 
demy, that it made one singular. To converse with 
the chaplain on that subject had not been ventured 
by any, except out of opposition to the truth. That 



M RODUCTOftf 

any one would appear there seriously seeking eternal 

• a the chaplain was afraid to hope. A cadet, 

bower r ia open day. 

chaplain's study, loo deeply conoerned to heed what 

lie waa personally unknown 

to the < i II is message he tried to utter, but 

could not. Again he tried, and again ; but his heart 

..ifth he said. 

I 

1 am entirely in the dark. 

h was 

i<>r some days, had 

been awakened endV . tung and reading of 

the truth. A peOBOQ J»re;i<-h. 

and at lrom the chaplain's 

study, to whomaoeti .eet, had been blees- 

* The tract was tent by a cadet, who, in obedience to Um re- 
quest of a pious father, of whose death he had jost heard, had 
come to introduce himself to the chaplain. Be was not then 0/ 

•to Jus hand for 

id upon the waters, with the direction, 

I anywhere in the barracks — perhaps I shall hear from 

iud dropped it unseen. In 

the room shore named That day weak 

the chaplain hen: shows related. But still he who 

dropped It was not known to care for his own soul. The other, 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 39 

ed to his soul. Doubts and cavils were all aban- 
doned. Implicit submission seemed his engrossing 
principle. From that moment the young man ap- 
peared to take up the cross, and to stand decidedly 
and boldly on the Lord's side. The singular and 
very prominent "evidence of the hand of God in this 
case, was very greatly blessed to others. After 
graduating at that institution, and leaving the army, 
he passed through a regular course of study for the 
holy ministry, and was successively ordained deacon 
and presbyter. Many years have since elapsed. 
The chaplain has since been called to a higher order 
in the ministry, and more enlarged responsibilities 
in the church. The cadet, meanwhile, after many 
vicissitudes of active duty and of disabling ill health, 
supposed he had settled himself for the rest of his 
life as a preacher and pastor to an humble and ob- 
scure congregation of negroes, whom he had col- 
lected together from neighbouring plantations ; to 
whom, living entirely upon his own pecuniary means, 
he appropriated a part of his own house for a church, 
and to whose eternal interests he had chosen cheer- 
fully and happily to devote himself, as their spiritual 
father, with no emolument but their salvation. But 
such was just the true spirit for the highest of all 
vocations in the church. To be a servant of ser- 
vants is the very school in which to prepafS for the 
chief ministry under Him who " took upon himself 
the form of a servant." The church needed a mis- 
sionary bishop for a vast field, for great self-denial, 
for untiring patience, for courageous enterprise. 



40 I NTS INTRODUCTORY TO 

Ml to the sell -appointed | 
of that humble congregation. With mo 
aire unanimity did she call him sway lo a fro 
Mood of more dignified duty, but of mote emi- 
mim responsibility ; not indeed of more exquisite 
satisfaction to a Chriatiao heart, (fur what ca- 

art more exquisite aatiafaetion 

lead auch of the poor to Christ ') but of 

severer I rials, and vastly greater difficulties and hsrd- 

te coat, he has not dareo 
Regarding the call aa of Cod, he has em- 
braced the promised grace, and is now ready to be 
offered. And thus I has here met the 

. seeing and adoring the end of 
the Lord in that remarkable beginning. 

a TBI MUM 

In a sea- port town on the west coast of England, 

| ' are ago, notice was given of a sermon to be 

I .1 there one Sunday evening. The preacher 

was a in ttiat circumstance, 

together with -course being to eu- 

■. of a strict observance of the Sabbath, 

wing audience. After the usual 

- and praises, the preacher read his text, and 

was about to proceed with his sermon, \\)u n he aud- 

Aead, leaning bta head on the pulpit, and re- 

that he had become Indisposed ; but he soon re- 
covered himself, and addressing the congregation, 
it tafora entering upon his discourse, he 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 41 

begged to narrate to them a short anecdote. " It is 
now exactly fifteen years," said he, " since I was 
last within this place of worship ; and the occasion 
was, as many here may probably remember, the very 
same as that which has now brought us together. 
Amongst those who came hither that evening, were 
three dissolute young men, who came not only with 
the intention of insulting and mocking the venerable 
pastor, but even with stones in their pockets to throw 
at him as he stood in this pulpit. Accordingly, they 
had not attended long to the discourse, when one of 
them said, impatiently, ' Why need we listen any 
longer to the blockhead 1 — throw !' But the second 
stopped him, saying, ' Let us first see what he makes 
of this point.' The curiosity of the latter was no 
sooner satisfied, than he, too, said, 'Ay, confound 
him, it is only as I expected — throw now !' But 
here the third interposed, and said, ' It would be 
better altogether to give up the design which has 
brought us here.' At this remark his two asso- 
ciates took offence, and left the place, while he him- 
self remained to the end. Now, mark, my brethren," 
continued the preacher, with much emotion, " what 
were afterwards the several fates of these young 
men ! The first was hanged many years ago for 
forgery ; the second is now lying under sentence of 
death, for murder, in the jail of this city. The third, 
my brethren," — and the speaker's agitation here be- 
came excessive, while he paused, and wiped the large 
drops from his brow — " the third, my brethren, is 
he who is now about to address you ! — listen to him." 



IIODUCTOKY TO 

•■ he demoted 
^ llic: ia an rniiaiiai 

■ asic iau in Sheffield. He possessed a violin 
.« said, he estimated at tb 

osed to be, • mg Miller 

Saib, an exquisite instrument was in use by one of 
band ; and having poshed his way to 
m enchanted the sorrrri^n by his 
■tain posses 

the means by 
came to be possessed of it, be acq. 

the fond o 
borse which ca 

Igb his war. ^ 

height of ait fan and popui 
ssjbjb 

of wearinesa on board a| 
■■* " ». and mad,- 

■vas 
i in 
«od thai thii iostmmeni 
u the Idol sj 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 43 

wedded to it ; and he felt it to be a great snare. 
" With almost unexampled firmness and resolution," 
adds his biographer, "he laid it aside — though at 
the time he was esteemed the second, if not the first, 
performer in England — with the purpose never to 
touch it more ; and he kept his resolution to the day 
of his death." 

ADAM CLARKE. 
A letter from Mr. Wesley, inviting him to Kings- 
wood school, preparatory„to commencing the minis- 
try, brought matters to a crisis with his parents : — 
they were highly displeased. His father would 
neither see nor speak to him ; his mother threatened 
him with God's displeasure, and said, as before, 
" We have brought you up with much care and 
trouble ; your brother is gone, your father cannot 
last always ; you should stay with the family, and 
labour for the support of those who have so long 
supported you, and not go to be a fugitive and vaga- 
bond over the face of the earth. I believe you to be 
upright, I know you to be godly ; but remember, God 
has said, Honour thy father and thy mother ; that 
thy days may he long in the land ivhich the Lord 
thy God giveth thee. This is the first command- 
ment with promise : and remember what the Apostle 
hath said : Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and 
yet offend in one point, is guilty of all. Now I 
allow that you are unblamable in your life, but you 
are now going to break that solemn law, Honour 
thy father and thy mother; and if you do, what will 



44 

arail all your other righteousr, Jtt Jd not 

n-pjy to an sjrgriered parent. All he couM 
•ay was. / iruA to do nothing contrary to ike xetll 
•ibour to keep a com- 
taenee votd of offence be/are God and mt. 
poor mother was ao far transported and off her guard, 
that she sai<l. . you shall hare t parent's 

curse, and not her bles* 

■fit into a dilemma, and had no 

ul to turn back be could not with 
ted dis- 
t his parents, and with such, expressed 
as mentioned abov. 

home. Prayer was his stronghold, and to I 
had recourse on the present occasion. God knew 
the way that he took, and appear. 
a* one int days on some hnsinosa, he 

w *»eT rt irn to tind his mo- 

ther's sentiments entirely ehaa ,uj got 

the persuasion that tienl had n . M ve up 

her son to hi ibmitted, and 

had begun to use all her influence with his fat 

1 1 ; nor had she exerted 

parents rect 

n. with I sjesjsjsjg countenance: and though 

■ a few 

days he set off to t! .-londerry, whence 

he was short k 

he was reco mm ended by 
■e pions teeisty of C eb nu m to t^vi h,. had In- 



, MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 45 

tie money, and but a scanty wardrobe ; but he was 
carried far above the fear of want ; he would not 
ask his parents for any help ; nor would he intimate 
to them that he needed any. A few of his own se- 
lect friends put some money in his purse, and having 
taken a dutiful and affectionate leave of his parents 
and friends, he walked to Derry, a journey of up- 
wards of thirty miles, in a part of a day, found Mr. 
Bredin waiting, who had agreed for their passage in 
a Liverpool trader, which was expected to sail the 
first fair wind. 

POOR JACK 
The following account is given by the Rev. Legh 
Richmond, as having been related by a minister in a 
meeting of the British and Foreign Bible Society : — 

A drunkard was one day staggering in drink on 
the brink of the sea. His little son by him, three 
years of age, being very hungry, solicited him for 
something to eat. The miserable father, conscious 
of his poverty, and of the criminal cause of it, in a 
kind of rage, occasioned by his intemperance and 
despair, hurled the little innocent into the sea, and 
made off with himself. The poor little sufferer, 
finding a floating plank by his side on the water, 
clung to it. The wind soon wafted him and the 
plank into the sea. 

A British man-of-war, passing by, discovered the 
plank and child ; and a sailor, at the risk of his own 
life, plunged into the sea and brought him on board. 
He could inform them little more than that his name 



* 6 ■ TO 

was Jack. They gave him the name of Po« 
Ha grew up oo board that man-of-war, behaved well, 
end gained the lore of all the officers aod nv 
became aa officer of the sick and wounded detri- 
ment. During an action of the late war, an aged 
man came under his care, nearly in a dying stale. 
He was all the suffering stranger, bet 

could not save hi* 

iged stranger was dying, and thus addressed 
the great a- 
you have sh< . this only treasure 

i am possessed of 
g the stamp 
) ^ WM a lady; has 

will lead yon 
confoae 

<-;i>t a hit!- |^ mlo 

the sea, beca to bin fot eeeeed I 

M and 
Reader 
'• rfjeogBttas] 

triu ;it find ng thai the .same young stranger was hie 
h " n — th ' plunged into the 

pariahe.l : thfirmutu.i 

uotbe atti-tii] ■■■ 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 47 

arms of his son. The latter left the service, and be- 
came a pious preacher of the gospel. On closing 
this story, the minister, in the meeting of the Bible 
Society, bowed to the chairman, and said, " Sir, I 
am poor Jack." 

REV. MR. ROBINSON. 
The Rev. Mr. Robinson, a member of the Presby- 
tery of New-Brunswick, was the son of a wealthy 
Friend in England. On visiting London he became 
dissipated, got in debt, and had to leave his native 
land to seek his fortune in America. On his arri- 
val in New- Jersey he opened a school. After being 
thus engaged for some time, without any practical 
realization of religion, he was riding at a late Hour 
one evening, when the moon and stars shone with 
unusual brightness. While he was meditating on 
the beauty and grandeur of the scene, and was say- 
ing to himself, " How transcendently glorious must 
be the Author of all this beauty and grandeur !" the 
thought struck him with the suddenness and force 
of lightning, — "But what do I know of this God ? 
Have I ever sought his favour, or made him my 
friend ?" This happy impression, which proved, 
by its permanency and effects, to have come from 
the best of all sources, never left him until he took 
refuge in Christ. 

DISARMED AND CONVERTED BY KINDNESS. 
" A man of my acquaintance," says Dr. Dwight, 
" who was of a vehement and rigid temper, had, 



TO 

many yean, since, a dispute with a friend of b»», & 
:i, and bad been injured 1> . 
rong feelings of reaeotment, be made bun a 
avowed purpose of quarrelling with 
nature and sates* 
. and waa preparing, as he afterwards 
confessed, to load him wiih a ere re- 

proach' tm short by scknow- 

ledgiii Mattel readiness and fr in knees, 

the injustice • nad been guilty ; express- 

. 
ample compensation. He was compelled to say 
was satisfied, and withdrew, full o( mortifi- 
cation >een precluded from vesting his 
his friend with keen and 
tehee tor his conduct. As he was 
walkm. . he amid to himself to Unaeffeet: 
most be something more in religion than I 
> suspected. Were any man to ad- 
dress me in the tone of haughtiness and provocation 
with which I ■coasted my friend this evening, it 
reserve the nqsant 
i i have bam I • niess, and especially 
with so much frank ne*.s, humility, and meekness, to 
acknowledge the wrong which 1 bad done ; so rand 
ilv ask forgiveness of the man whom I had injured; 
ry recompense. 
I ahsnhi have e> I I ith at least squ 
sentment. paid him uid in- 
1 tor around . omething in 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 49 

this man's disposition which is not in mine. There 
is something in the religion which he professes, and 
which I am forced to believe he feels ; something 
which makes him so superior, so much better, so 
much more amiable, than I can pretend to be. The 
subject strikes me in a manner to which I have 
hitherto been a stranger. It is high time to exa- 
mine it more thoroughly, with more candour, and 
with greater solicitude also, than I have done hith- 
erto.' 

" From this incident, a train of thoughts and emo- 
tions commenced in the mind of this man, which 
terminated in his profession of the Christian reli- 
gion, his relinquishment of the business in which he 
was engaged, and his consecration of himself to the 
ministry of the gospel." 

DR. VANDERKEMP. 
The conversion of Dr. Vanderkemp, missionary in 
South Africa, was preceded by a very remarkable 
interposition of the providence of God in the preser- 
vation of his life. He was sailing on the river, near 
Dort, in company with his wife and daughter, when 
a violent storm arose, and a water-spout broke on 
the boat, by which it was instantly overset. Mrs. 
Vanderkemp and her daughter were immediately 
drowned, and the survivor, clinging to the boat, was 
carried down the stream nearly a mile, no one dar- 
ing, in so dreadful a storm, to venture from the shore 
to his assistance. A vessel then lying in the port 
of Dort, was, by the violence of the storra, driven 
4 



■ TO 

from her mooring, and floated towards the part of 
the rin he was just ready to perish, and 

the sailors took !< i <>us re- 

markably was a life preserved, which was after- 
wards I advantage of raun- 

:ch he 
had laboured sudden !o*« 

earthh long struggle against a 

painful hard heart, shook 

• d, and ended 
the cause of < 

Tffli PBODIOA1 'KP. 

' was, many years since, a labo- 
rious minister in the kirk of Scotland. He had a 
large family, hut hit eldest son was a grievoi 
to him, and filled him with distress. While his fa- 
Ofl a week-day eve- 
ning, he would join his wicked associates in robbing 
•relation. He wan 
d-room, hut contrived to escape 
from ti he ar- 

the head ofthl I this parish, I 

oerl an of mis- 

ohJef. In short, it would be im|-o.«sihle tosay what 

and su.-h w i 
ther he ry species of 

I he sacrament 

parish . and 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 51 

upon these occasions, according to the custom of the 
kirk of Scotland, many of the surrounding parishes 
met at an appointed church, where several days 
were appropriated for the solemnity. When this 
occurs, presents of cold provisions are usually for- 
warded to the minister's house whose turn it may 
be to receive the brethren. Such had been the 
case in this instance, and abundant supplies poured 
in from all quarters, and were forwarded to the par- 
sonage. 

The tables were laid over night, and some of the 
provisions placed upon them. Among these was a 
large meat pie, which any one person could scarcely 
lift. The following day, when all the ministers 
were assembled, the Rev. Mr. invoked a bles- 
sing, and took his seat at the head of his guests. On 
removing a portion of the crust from the pie, it was 
discovered that the whole contents had been re- 
moved, and their place supplied with grass ; and on 
a piece of paper the following text was written, 
"All flesh is grass." 

The aged parent was so distressed at the occur- 
rence, that his knife and fork dropped from his 

hands, and exclaiming, " Poor has been here," 

he fainted away. Search was made for the lad, 
and he was brought in. When he stood before the 
assembled company he was somewhat abashed ; but 
when he saw his hoary-headed father lost in uncon- 
sciousness of what was passing, and when his con- 
science told him that he had occasioned it, his heart 
smote him, and the turning-point was taken. From 



KODt'CTOBT TO 

that day forward he wae aa altered character 

the porpoae of turning them from the eril couraea 

upon kneeling down with them to pra- 

■ 
one or two listened w itii profit to his lostructione, 
ud ill*- reel sYosded him u ;» poof dMpnifted i* '•■'•■. 

truth a* it ;- I >us. 

TOO MUCH WORK. 

I'm Re v John 1 '■• B told by oiu 

I above double the 
10 him about the ■ 
intercourse with the peopla having excited 
within him an affection which would not suffer him 
to be thru id which re- 

I unabati «1 till hi> death. -taaces 

rwd with his appointment are remarkable and 
Mr. Hill informed him that 
the Irving of Dnnnai 

•. light, the income good, (X'400 per 

annum. luated in a tine healthy * 

i-Mimtry " niter thanking Mr Hill meal co 

kirnln. ■!»*, .Mr. llctrher added, ** Alaa ! air, 

Dunham will nut mi money, 

. little labour " " Pen clergymen make 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 53 

such objections," said Mr. Hill ; " it is a pity to de- 
cline such a living, as I do not know that I can find 
you another. What shall we do % Would you like 
Madeley % v " That, sir, would be the very place 
for me." " My object, Mr. Fletcher, is to make 
you comfortable in your own way. If you prefer 
Madeley, I shall find no difficulty in persuading the 
present vicar to exchange it for Dunham, which is 
worth more than twice as much." In this way he 
became vicar of Madeley, with which he was so 
perfectly satisfied, that he never afterwards sought 
any other honour or preferment. 

REV. T. ROBLTtfSOK 
The late Rev. T. Robinson, vicar of St. Mary's, 
Leicester, was a native of Wakefield, in Yorkshire, 
and was originally intended for trade ; but discover- 
ing considerable literary talent, his parents consulted 
the clergyman on whom they attended, and deter- 
mined to confer on him the advantages of a univer- 
sity education, with a view to his entering on the 
Christian ministry. When he was about leaving 
home to proceed to Cambridge, he was one day met 
by a poor shoemaker, who inquired whether he was 
not about to be trained for a clergyman ; and being 
answered in the affirmative, the man replied, 
" Then, sir, I hope you will study your Bible, that 
you may be qualified for feeding the sheep of Christ 
with the bread of eternal life." The hint was sea- 
sonable, and a divine blessing attended it. Mr. 
Robinson never forgot it while he lived ; and he la- 



I TO 

boured, a* i» well known, for many years, as a 
faithful and •uoomnfnl minister of the gospel. 

THE 

Sous years ago a clergyman, who waa a widower, 

low of a deceased minister uf a 
denomination. She wa. -,'bly « 

,,ng «i**«irT^. 

■ companion in his public and — *rtn l 
re ahe became penaire and dejected. 

' I companion, 

who in-. • I 01 knowing the eaus» 
with trembling hes:' ^. r , your 

I atam i Christia 

nans in the « 

on] not speak 

the trnJ V . 'and so you 

would i Hand in lb lay, and 

H ny. I5ut, sir, there i» rem 

• r in the truth of the gospel. 

result was, a very important ch . .mniste- 

tia part- 
ner sat and heard hiui pn 

Tut i 

the predooi rda, was 

engaged bj 

.:aro no 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 55 

indications of a renewed and serious mind. In this 
difficulty their resource was prayer. They agreed 
to set apart a day for special fasting and prayer, in 
reference to their pastor. Many of the persons 
meeting for this purpose had necessarily to pass the 
door of the minister. Mr. S. hailed a plain man 
whom he knew, and addressed him : " What is all 
this 1 What is doing to-day V The reply was, 
" The people, sir, are all meeting to pray for your 
conversion." It sunk into his heart. He ex- 
claimed to himself, " Then it is time I prayed for 
myself!" He was not seen that day. He was 
seeking in solitude what they were asking in com- 
pany ; and " while they were yet speaking," they 
were heard and answered . The pastor gave unques- 
tionable evidence of the change ; he laboured amongst 
a beloved and devoted people for nearly half a cen- 
tury ; and was, for that period, deservedly ranked 
among the most able and useful of Christian ministers. 

DR. CHALMERS. 

From Dr. Chalmers' own confession, he preached 
twelve years without either knowing himself or the 
gospel. In his address to his former parishioners 
he says : — " I cannot but record the effect of an ac- 
tual though undesigned experiment which I prose- 
cuted for upwards of twelve years among you. For 
the greater part of that time I could expatiate on the 
meanness of dishonesty, on the villany of falsehood, 
on the despicable arts of calumny ; in a word, upon 
all those deformities of character which awaken the 



30 K0D0CTORT TO 

•MM of 

honour, and truth, a . among my people ; 

•d amongst thrm. If there waa 
.: at all brought abort in this way, it waa 

<>t aeo- 

i 

And it tu i 

• :rt in all its 

method of r< i before 

tli< in. it was not nil the t' forgiveness 

acceptan. . . and t)>. ; through tho 

ohanne] of Christ's raediatorahip 

ind their pi 
Nsor.l. nil the oootemplai 

turned I u and eseenl in the 

bueineK*..! i soul pn 

ardof 
thoee subordinate r< 

at tin- MOM I 
admin 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 57 

D'AUBIGNE'S CONFLICT WITH RATIONALISM. 
This eminent man has recently given to the world 
the following statement of his final establishment in 
the gospel : 

After his conversion to God, and after he had be- 
gun to preach Christ with fulness of faith, he was 
so assailed and perplexed, in coming into Germany, 
by the sophisms of rationalism, that he was plunged 
into unutterable distress, and passed whole nights 
without sleeping, crying to God from the bottom of 
his heart, or endeavouring by arguments and syllo- 
gisms without end to repel the attack and the adver- 
sary. In his perplexity he visited Kleuker, a ve- 
nerable divine at Kiel, who for forty years had been 
defending Christianity against the attacks of infidel 
theologians and philosophers. Before this admira- 
ble man D'Aubigne laid his doubts and difficulties 
for solution. Instead of solving them, Kleuker re- 
plied, " Were I to succeed in ridding you of these, 
others would soon rise up. There is a shorter, 
deeper, and more complete way of annihilating 
them. Let Christ be really to you the Son of God 
— the Saviour — the Author of eternal life. Only be 
firmly settled in this grace, and then these difficul- 
ties of detail will never stop you ; the light which 
proceeds from Christ will dispel all darkness." 
This advice, followed as it was by a study, with a 
pious fellow-traveller at an inn at Kiel, of the apos- 
tle's expression, " Now unto him that is able to do 
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or 



68 

> all his difficulties 
a. paatage, they prayed 

room at 

foot of 

know thai thou u. 

jure all 

• doubta 

from that iov 

• ful, but 
unto me peac 

: 

alone, but that of many | 

1 

alu» ! hare 

J01 

tin t 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 59 

room with him, bending his knees in prayer, on re- 
tiring to rest. Nearly fifty years have since 
rolled away," he says, " but that little chamber, that 
humble couch, that praying youth, are still present 
to my imagination, and will never be forgotten, even 
amid the splendours of heaven." 

AMIABLE INSTINCTS AND CORRECT DEPORT- 
MENT NOT CHRISTIAN PIETY. 
It was a beautiful afternoon of a summer Sabbath, 
when a younger brother, about sixteen years of age, 
came into my room, and throwing his arms around 
my neck, said, " I want you to pray for me." 

It was a moment of surpassing interest, and emo- 
tions never to be told, or forgotten, were awakened 
in my heart. He had always been what is called " a 
good boy" — his life had been marked by the strictest 
morality, and his attendance on the duties of reli- 
gion made it impossible to detect in his character 
anything amiss. And while I had looked on him 
as a stranger to the Saviour, and in need of regene- 
rating grace, I never expected to see him strongly 
excited in view of sin, or the prey of peculiar dis- 
tress. He seemed so near the kingdom of God ; 
like the young man in the gospel, he had outwardly 
kept all the commandments, so that it appeared as 
if he must be easily led to embrace the Saviour. 
His morality had allayed my anxiety in his behalf, 
and the interest he had ever manifested in the sub- 
ject of religion, tempted me almost to forget that he 
was still in his sins, an enemy of God, and an heir 



60 



U Y TO 



of hell. And when he broke in upon me u 

Mm OSS* M d t:. U I should j.r.i\ lor lutn, U start- 
led me, as if he had come in starring and asked fur 



erring that he wm in greet distress of mind, 
I desired him to ail a moment, and tell 

me the occaaion of hie i v. and then I 

would hia request. He said that the 

ligion had for years been often before 
'■ 1m- had il* | to become person- 

ally interested in it ; but, he add 

Qg last erening you closed your re- 
marks with the words, ' < ■ .,, day whom 
. ve Wl,! lid seek ear- 
nestly the aalratioa of my soul. Hut I 
felt no unusual concern, and this morning s«- 

'■as lirm to choose 

1 ,,,r m > : afternoon, in 

church, the m v case, and I 

Mr, ■ greet sinner, sinking into 

led I want y.'U to pi 

I down, and I liile he 

mem by mj . r a few mo- 

and still on our knees, I asked him what ap- 

oi the hell t'> which he was exposed, bet netj that 

and las 
•""■» &ii that he most 

sink under t! aeenhei 

. 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 61 

est religious privileges, had been early consecrated 
by pious parents to God, and had been the child of 
many prayers and tears, and had still refused to give 
his heart to Christ. And as his ingratitude was re- 
vealed, he seemed to abhor himself as unworthy of 
the dust. And now despair was filling. his breast. 
Such sins, so many, so great, so inexcusable, can 
never be forgiven. I asked him if he felt that God 
would be just in shutting him out of heaven, and 
making him miserable forever. O yes, he replied, 
he deserved the everlasting wrath of a holy God. 
He could never suffer more than he deserved ; but 
it was not hell, it was sin that made him miserable. 
He would suffer anything, everything, if he could 
only be delivered from this dreadful load of sin. 

We spoke of the character of God ; of his spotless 
purity, that could not bear with sin ; of his justice, 
that burns to punish it ; of his truth, that had sworn 
to take vengeance on the ungodly. But he antici- 
pated all this, and my words were too weak to meet 
the views he already had of these attributes, con- 
spiring against his soul. I spoke of the love of God ; 
love against which he had sinned so long and deeply ; 
love, that had given him the religious privileges of 
his youth ; love, that was now keeping him out of 
hell ; love, that even now offered to pardon and save 
him. 

" No, no," said he, " I have sinned too much for 
that. There can be no pardon for so vile a wretch 
as I." And sinking under this despairing thought, 
he gave utterance to his grief in sobs and tears. 






•RT TO 



It was an awful momen' numy own 

soul ; tml hi* irro clung round my neck, a* it I 

perish. ! pleaded thai the 

jht find merry m this hour of 

and the few 

"iir. as 

'.im to a deep 
sense of : <>f thoee i 

•■• ■!! faetroeted in the {Treat tnitli 
tml thp thought of ■ poseibujty of finding » 
from such sins as h. eemed not to 

BtOTod bil mind. And when at this juncture 
I to linn of the Honewil, rtot hod 

made for guil: . l0a t|, a | 

mot Mi led up the precious nnilfrcqoont 

■ "tiers 
of solvation ti. ; -lamed 

f«» him how OOnsisteal it woe for (>oxi to pardon, 

•eating 
Btooero w • 

, and I aaki i bin if, with that bleed- 
willingneaa toprovido sal'. 
fur sun • jj er6 

•vasstaggere.! 

nmself upon 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 63 

the sovereign mercy of God in Christ Jesus. " You 
are a lost sinner, self-condemned and perishing. 
You acknowledge that God will be just in sending 
you to hell. But you see the provision which he has 
made for just such sinners. Can you not trust your 
immortal interests in the hands of that Saviour %" 

The solemnity of eternity appeared to rest on his 
soul, as he poured out his heart in prayer, and com- 
mitted himself unto Him who is able and willing to 
save. We wept in silence, in the fulness of our 
souls, that knew no words to express the emotions 
of that hour. With perfect calmness, almost incre- 
dible, after the storm through which "he had just* 
passed, we rose from our knees — we had been pray- 
ing and conversing for about two hours — and walked 
out together. A Sabbath's sun was just setting, but 
a brighter sun, with healing in its beams, was rising 
on his heart. We met some young and unconverted 
friends, and at my request he told them what God 
had done for his soul, and tenderly invited them to 
seek the Saviour he had found. 

My brother is now a minister of the New Testa- 
ment, and will never forget the two hours that we 
spent on our knees in the summer of 1831. 

REV. JOHN BROWN. 
The late Rev. John Brown, of Haddington, when a 
boy, was engaged in the service of a farmer in East 
Lothian. Having one day gone to Edinburgh mar- 
ket with grain, while his horses were resting and his 
companions asleep, he went to a bookseller's in Par- 



Gi i nooi i roRi to 



k Testament. 
The proprietor, standing at his dour, w as surprised 
to bear a poor boy a.-k for Mich a book, and inquiccd 
what he would do 
j 

. •■ 1 will trj shop- 

men, baring found one, pul aid the 

hare it 
tniy took tt, and baring read a 
page, ti ' Ufa great eaae. Tl 

would ho had 

polled 

■ 

the 1 k. About I • well- 

I man, with ■ the same 

d the bookseller, who, as l 
walking befl Sir, I be- 

I 
ng men 
will ti •'' 

tonal)) that I an Lndebfc s face, 

"Sir, I do not I 

" "\ you re- 

tbat, aboot twenty yean ago, a poor bcrj 

I 
■ 

• >'t' it , :uul : 

was no I 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 65 

again in his face, and giving him his hand, he said, 
" Mr. Brown, I am glad to see you, and have often 
heard of you. We have here in our shop your Self- 
Interpreting Bible, your Church History, &c, which 
have brought me in much money ; will you be so 
obliging as to dine with me 1" The invitation was ac- 
cepted, and a lasting friendship was formed between 
them. 

THE VALUE OF A HALF-GUINEA. 
During Dr. Adam Clarke's short stay at Kings- 
wood, he often worked in the garden for exercise. 
" Observing one day," says he, " a small plat 
which had been awkwardly turned over by one 
of the boys, I took the spade and began to dress 
it : in breaking one of the clods, I knocked a half- 
guinea out of it. I took it up and immediately said 
to myself, This is not mine ; it belongs not to any 
of my family, for they have never been here ; I will 
take the first opportunity to give it to Mr. Simpson. 
Shortly after, I perceived him walking in the garden. 
I went to him, told him the circumstance, and pre- 
sented the half-guinea to him ; he took it, looked at 
it, and said, ' It may be mine, as several hundred 
pounds pass through my hands in the course of the 
year, for the expenses of this school ; but I do not 
recollect that I ever lost any money since I came here. 
Probably one of the gentlemen has ; keep it, and in 
the mean time I will inquire.' I said, ' Sir, it is not 
mine, take you the money: if you meet the right 
owner, well ; if not, throw it in the funds of the school.' 
5 



■ UODUCTQRT TO 

Bfl jm w :. .!. • \ . j must k«-.-;, n nil I m^k.- the m- 

day he had lost a ha 

■ 

1 did so : — thl 

:c that I lost 
• .sure that lh\ 
. unless I were so, I could n 

>ie, probabh 

■ 

i, in saying • 
the gold into my hand. Mr. v 

M 

II. tunx : 
ominon thiag to 

do with it. 1 S 

mod B grand addition t<> a purse that 
• 
itial ' 1.1 was po 
the world, ai 

'• Th< l»'r ; he may draw 

what :• 

may add : — besides two <»r three neo 
which I as my 

■ 

knowledge of that 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 67 

language, which ultimately led me to read over the 
Hebrew Bible and make those short notes which form- 
ed the basis of the Commentary since published! 
Had I not got that Grammar I probably should never 
have turned my mind to Hebrew learning ; and most 
certainly had never written a Commentary on Divine 
Revelation ! Behold how great matter a little fire 
kindleth ! My pocket was not entirely empty of the 
remains of this half-guinea, till other supplies, in the 
ordinary course of God's providence, came in! O 
God ! the silver and the gold are thine : so are the 
cattle upon a thousand hills." 

THE VOICE OF " ASSURANCE." 
A minister of Christ should never stop short of a 
clear experience of those Gospel privileges which 
he proclaims to others. A fine illustration of this 
truth is found in Dr. Krummacher's " Elijah the Tish- 
bite." " There was," says he, " some years ago, not 
far from this place, a very gifted preacher, who, for 
several years, preached with great earnestness and 
success the doctrine of the cross ; but who, on that 
very account, was violently opposed. One of his 
opponents, a well-informed person, who had for a 
long time absented himself from the church, thought, 
one Sabbath morning, that he would go and hear the 
gloomy man once more, to see whether his preaching 
might be more tolerable to him than it had been here- 
tofore. He went ; and that morning the preacher 
was speaking of ' the narrow way,' which he did not 
make either narrower or broader than the word of 



6-» 

God describes h. • A new creature in Christ, or 

Sfc • • ;i .na!...n." W lie- tt.«-rii.- ul' hi* d;»- 

course ; mod be •pake with power, and net aa a mere 
i..i. . | n momVi l)u:. ii ' tae lewnu, tt:«- imi -ti-.n 
forced 1 rer*i c oao ci e a oe, ' I 

I this man declare the real truth i 

I 

mseineuts. I Jut it became, from da/ to day, 

nd ask him, upon his conscience, 
d of the truth of tl 

-- He fulfilled his intentioi acher. 

Path irn-at earnestness, 'I 

was one of your hearers, when you Spoke, a short 

ii. I confess 
■ 

i from asking you solemnly, be- 

t ■ little surprised nt this 
rhat he 
In a ihe word of 1 1 

truth. ' W h t. • 

r, hut he rallied i md began to 

i xplain the plan of salvation lo the inquirer, and to 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 69 

exhort him to repent and believe. But the latter, 
as though he heard not one syllable of what the 
preacher said, interrupted him in the midst of it, and 
repeated, with increasing emotion, the anxious ex- 
clamation, ' If it be truth, sir, I beseech you what 
are we to do 1 ?' Terrified, the preacher staggered 
back. ' We,' thinks he, ' what means this we V 
and, endeavouring to stifle his inward uneasiness and 
embarrassment, he resumed his exhortation and ad- 
vice. Tears came into the eyes of the visitor ; he 
smote his hands together, like one in despair, and 
exclaimed, in an accent which might have moved a 
heart of stone, ' Sir, if it be truth, we are undone !' 
The preacher stood pale, trembling, and speechless. 
Then, overwhelmed with astonishment, with down- 
cast eyes and convulsive sobbings, he exclaimed, 
' Friend, down on your knees, let us cry for mercy.' 
They knelt down and prayed, and shortly afterwards 
the visitor took his leave. 

" The preacher shut himself up in his closet. Next 
Sabbath, word was sent that the minister was un- 
well, and could not appear. The same thing hap- 
pened the Sabbath following. On the third Sabbath, 
the preacher made his appearance before his congre- 
gation, worn with his inward conflict, and pale, but 
his eyes beaming with joy, and commenced his dis- 
course with the surprising and affecting declaration, 
that he had now, for the first time, passed through 
the strait gate. You will ask what had occurred to 
him in his chamber, during the interval which had 
elapsed. A storm passed over him, but the Lord 



70 KODUCTORT TO 

wm not in the storm ; an earthquake, but the Lord 
was not in the earthquake ; a fire, but the Lord waa 
not in - I iieo came a still small voice, on 

bsl mantle, and 
from that tune knew what waa the gospel, and what 
was grace." 

DR. C 
The Hi v Thomas Coke, LL. I)., was born at Bre- 

age of sixteen he was removed from Brecon 

'I m the L : s iirininooeih 

fMsl WM '!,•,.,,! ;i jj, !,;l.iii:m OMWM at Ji-.-us 
pe, in that university. In this seminary of leara- 
red a licentiousness of manners 
ii h<- bad hitherto been a stranger. And to 
I -t« MHshiiicnt , and excite his detestation, 
i'l'ilv found that, instead of apologizing for 
rmity of their conduct, some of his fellow -stu- 
ith contempt those 
moral principles which he had been taught to con- 
- leered, and to shelter themselves under the 
sorceries of argument, from the pangs of an upbraid- 
ing con . ,e and their 
principles ho soon discovered a . . agree- 
ns*nt Inndelil [>ossession of their hearts, 
u were fully unfoldi .vee. 

be bad t>een brought up 
i" the i: ,.n camo from 

M which it taught, and the pre- 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 71 

men wise unto salvation, his belief was of the here- 
ditary kind ; so that the arguments which proved 
revelation to be genuine were totally neglected, from 
an implicit conviction of its being true. On finding 
revelation assailed by sophisms which he had never 
heard before, and those principles attacked which 
he had never been instructed to defend, silence suc- 
ceeded to astonishment at first ; but the poison was 
working its way through unguarded avenues to his 
heart ; so that by slow and imperceptible degrees he 
became a captive to those snares of infidelity which 
he had at first surveyed with detestation and horror. 
This unhappy circumstance formed a memorable 
epoch in his life. The impression which it made 
upon his memory was too deep to be effaced. In 
public and in private he has frequently taken occa- 
sion to introduce it, accompanied with terms of com- 
passionate indignation against those who cherish the 
viper by which he was stung, and to reckon his de- 
liverance from this dreadful hydra as a most singu- 
lar interposition of the providence of God. 

The principles of our young student, being thus 
tainted, soon communicated their fatal influence to 
his practice. But the restraints imposed by con- 
science still remained, and preserved him from those 
excesses into which he would in all probability have 
been otherwise hurried. 

But although he was thus preserved from the ac- 
tual commission of the more abominable crimes, he 
fell an easy prey to the fashionable follies which re- 
puted virtue does not blush to own. But amid this 



72 RODVCTORY TO 

career of dissipation iie happiness which 

(It noise 
was sufficient 10 voice of conscience ; do 

'•f excess could drown her secret whispers; 
snd no amusement c 
■ 

of gsy companions, and ha 

flhngsjvded rirtne, his lift w»a WYsteJsld wUhMI 

opiates which :es recomm< I 

implc. 

at>:u»«l. -: •■ thout finding his new one 

to correspond with o( his con- 

wishes 
he had 

nose name at that tim • 1 some 

Sands] all pfO> 

. . to ptease his < hconisn anient, selected a aer- 
: lttf-n in :i masterly manner, on soni' 

read n I 

by the manner in which d it. to 

I 
listened to th> with all that 

principle cndesToored 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 73 

to forget, once more begin to revive in his bosom. 
The effects of infidelity now appeared in an inauspi- 
cious light ; and serious suspicions were entertained 
by him of the validity of those arguments by which 
he had been proselyted to adopt his fashionable creed. 

On returning from church, the visitor took occa- 
sion to express his opinion of the sermon which he 
had just heard, in terms of unqualified approbation. 
To this he added some hints on the state of his mind ; 
and some remarks on the impression which the dis- 
course had made ; expecting, no doubt, to receive 
more ample information on those momentous subjects 
from a minister who had so ably advocated the cause 
of Christianity in the pulpit. But, strange as it may 
appear, this unhappy man, instead of endeavouring to 
remove the objections, which were only formidable 
to youth and inexperience, archly smiled at the sim- 
plicity of his young friend, and frankly told him that 
he did not believe any of the doctrines he had been 
defending ! 

Disgusted at the conduct he had witnessed, with- 
out being induced by the clergyman's example to 
think more favourably of infidelity, which could thus 
sanction perfidy, and cover an avowal of it with smiles 
of conscious superiority, he returned once more to 
Oxford, wilh a fixed resolution to take some decisive 
measures, that should finally confirm him in open in- 
fidelity, or bring him back to the principles of Chris- 
tianity. This, in all probability, was one of the most 
momentous periods of his life ; since, on the step he 
was about to take, without any visible guide or direc- 



74 , to 

r rect his judgment, depended, in 
imi lanll degree, h.> destn.\ ::..-. .. h Uie, ana his 
nem both in tunc an 

discourses and dissertations of Bishop 
into his hands. These be read with 
more than common attention and interest ; and being 
■re seeker an i was pleased to ac- 

company them with his blessing. notnent 

his mind decided in favour of Christianity, and all his 
I reasonings and objections disappeared. In 
this, also, he 

irch after truth, and in 1****|M 
hun to | t r.ut ;-«• that should • .re the 

!i bfl had B*> . 

wercr, only made 
lie was still a stranger 

point was gained ; it had brought him within : 
if revelation, and even laid him u 

various 
braced. 
Ilowed which i. 
om i treafiei 
spoon, he i.htauifd a eonsnlerahh 
uid Ufl lie.-, 

that he was put in actual pos- 
session of tli 

trito soul i" ^us. 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 75 

Having thus taken a deeid ed part in favour of Chris- 
tianity, he soon found occasion to leave his infidel 
companions, and with them the practice into which 
they had initiated him. 

At the age of twenty-one, he was chosen common 
councilman for the borough of Brecon, which station 
his father had held when living ; and, at the age of 
twenty-five, he was elected chief magistrate ; which 
important office he filled with more than common re- 
putation. The whole corporation were highly satis- 
fied with the rectitude of his conduct during the time 
that he presided among them ; and the good order 
of the town was much promoted by his unwearied 
exertions to advance the public benefit. 

As it was now his full intention to enter into holy 
orders, the authority which his office gave him in 
Brecon, procured him many flattering prospects of 
rapid advancement in the Church. But preferment, 
through political interest, is a path in which disap- 
pointment frequently smiles at the simplicity of hope. 
Being properly qualified, he took out his degree of 
Doctor of Civil Laws on the 17th of June, 1775. 

Dr. Coke, having exhausted his patience in wait- 
ing on those proficients in artificial friendship " who 
squeeze my hand, and beg me come to-morrow," be- 
gan seriously to look around him for some respecta- 
ble curacy that would promise to be permanent. It 
was not long before one of this description offered 
itself at South Petherton, in Somersetshire. This 
he readily embraced, as it afforded him an ample field 
for the exercise of his talents, of his zeal, and, above 



?'*> TO 

his farnwt desire to be useful, which, from 
his earliest recollection, had always bees predorm- 

(>n his arrival st nongh a stranger to 

discourses son 

'■se with a degree of ani- 
mation r«< had not been accustom- 
ed, he soon ngrega- 
• 
Hut amul the Mtiehad< 

ntlr engaged his i 

nfident in his own attainments, 

nee of 

sets wfciea opened before 

soul, he SSW 

than he had hither! portant 

and of realising the influence of Dirint 

had hitherto 
:ne assistance 
now mingled with his prn 

All his former, h 
pressiotis again returned ; and I re per- 

inea*, the necessity 
1 led. 

t soon beearn 
hie mi I I m his preaching; and 

.rhood; 
ninoni? whom were n nd thst 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 77 

invaluable blessing which Dr. Coke was now evident- 
ly seeking. To the truths which he thus delivered 
in great sincerity, he added a degree of eloquence 
which frequently so affected his congregation, that 
many faces were suffused with tears. It was not 
long that his church could contain the vast numbers 
who assembled to hear. He therefore applied to the 
parish vestry for a gallery to be erected at the public 
expense. Caution, however, was more predominant 
than zeal, with those to whom he made his appeal ; 
and the consequence was, that his application was 
refused. But this refusal was insufficient either to 
damp his ardour, or to make him relinquish an under- 
taking which he thought necessary in itself, and like- 
ly to be attended with the most beneficial conse- 
quences. He therefore, without any further con- 
sultation, employed tradesmen, and actually built a 
gallery at his own private expense. 

By this unexampled effort and display of liberality, 
he gave to the astonished farmers of his parish such 
a proof of his sincerity and disinterestedness, that 
the more crafty ones began to suspect their new 
minister was somewhat tainted with Methodism. 
From these sagacious discoverers it was whispered 
to others ; and all watched him " with sly circum- 
spection." At length, the suspicions appearing strong- 
ly against him, the report became general ; and, in 
a tone of expression that at once partook of indignity 
and jest, the parson, without further ceremony, was 
pronounced guilty, and consequently loaded with the 
opprobrious appellation. 



78 l KODUCTOft | 

:!>, however, thin report did not 
either in indignity or jest ; but it soon led to conse- 
quences which its propagators ha 
ition. 

the Rev. 
I • sley had been instrumental in raising up, was 
ions man was aAer- 
ward ordained by the bishop oi 
resided »om< 

Onreeetrin 

WMMndeikm, the bishop used tl 
lowing u to as- 

'. good man, that b< i self to 

8 
I quitted Mr 

Is, about tii- | -}*uk, he had 

laken up his abode not i 

1 
ing the tale which popular 

gan to entertain an opinion of t . curate 

Hi -rent from that which on the 

breeze of fan* M( j er a || 

the assistance in I: ng man, 

\\h«> luij.rov, ,1 .i\\ the light \i> h,, was 

torn, be sought his i 

and was introdueed as a i During the 
fir.st interview, their 

i mental 

in, as the gen i godli. 

which it is i: , cr8 lo enjoy. 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 79 

This conversation was of considerable service to the 
doctor, who was only yet able to " see men as trees 
walking." But from the repetition of these visits, 
his mind became gradually opened to see more clear- 
ly the things of God ; many of his doubts were re- 
moved ; and the whole plan of salvation by faith in 
the merits of the Saviour, unfolded its beauties to 
his susceptible understanding and ravished heart, in 
a manner he had never seen before. 

But it was not to the conversation of this pious 
clergyman alone, that Dr. Coke had to acknow- 
ledge his obligations. Nearly about the same time 
" Alleine's Alarm to the Unconverted" fell into his 
hands ; and the forcible manner in which the au- 
thor applies the language of Scripture, to confirm 
the salutary truths which his little book contains, ri- 
veted upon his heart the information he had received 
through the medium of conversation and of fervent 
prayer. " Sherlock's Discourses had produced a 
revolution in his opinions ; but Alleine's Alarm now 
produced a revolution in his heart :" and from this 
time he became an earnest seeker of salvation, until 
he experienced a clear manifestation of the love of 
God. 

But although he was an earnest seeker of salva- 
tion, he had not embraced any particular system, 
nor even yet begun to inquire into the ultimate ten- 
dency of the various tenets which courted his ap- 
probation. His final decision in the choice of doc- 
trines, and in favour of those taught by Mr. Wesley, 
was however soon effected by the following circum- 



80 VlKOt>lCI 



\ . ' ".:.•• j ■ :•> «!< r^'\ infii who 

i 

I line os- 
I, put nit., hi ner's Appeal, 

■ 
asaisu n»», and were, as 

-xi people called Method - 
• h1 being my helper, 

.Mr. Hull, a had been in* 

■ hear ihe <1 . addressed U 

bt good 
I 

and of no 
IvaatagQ to aim, an inn 
was pr Mr. Hull. To this the doctor 

bad no personal objection, hut 
prejudice* in favour of the F.sUhiiahi 

the friendly oiler, than 
to oontsminstc bin >o of a 

aid the same 

prejudice Hull at 

\ compromiae, hoi k place, 

and ihey a -i- . .1 to meet at a farm-house, as a neu- 

ojghl naort without 

I doctor soon 
I 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 81 

by which his head had been guided ; and that it was 
possible for piety and knowledge to exist without 
the pale of the Established Church. 

With a man labouring under prejudices so strong 
as those which at this time held Dr. Coke in cap- 
tivity, few could be found more suitable to converse 
than Mr. Hull. He had embraced the Calvinistic 
creed, but he was no bigot. Reasonable, commu- 
nicative, and ingenuous, he was as willing to hear 
as to speak, and was more inclined to support his 
creed by argument than by dogma. 

Among the happy effects which resulted to Dr. 
Coke from his conversation with Mr. Hull, the blow 
which had been given to his prejudices was not the 
least advantageous, since this prepared him to re- 
ceive instruction from those who, in humble life, had 
experienced the pardoning love of God ; of which an 
opportunity very shortly occurred. 

It happened, while he was thus earnestly seeking 
the salvation of his own soul, and strongly recom- 
mending the Saviour of mankind to others, that he 
had an occasion to visit a respectable family in De- 
vonshire. Among the labourers belonging to this 
family there was a poor man who had for some 
considerable time been a member of the Methodist 
society, and who superintended a small class. This 
man was soon found out by the doctor, who quickly 
entered into conversation with him on things which 
belong to our everlasting peace. The poor man, 
though destitute of worldly knowledge, had exten- 
sively explored the unfathomable mines of Divine 
6 



N2 DENTS IN'TRODDCTOtT TO 

love, and had lug) ptpMMld of the im^ar.,, . le 
riches < " the nature of pardon— 

dence which accompanies it — the witness 
Spirit — the necessity of obtaining thane inestimable 

I !■ • .:. ' iin! U. n..:'.: : :■; w:.. .. v. • : 

v discoursed largely, and mutually 

• incd in prayer, ami were so united 
in spirit thai dm aaensr became solicitous to 

of nrbose docl I heard 

tnsnge leantta. To all b 

( 'liri>ti 

urn to think that \\r bad 

to the pious and commi 

. thai Dr. I at owed 

i t>> finding peace 
witli God and interna] tranquillity of soul than to 
any 0|] 

ilked into u 
little flock, h 
anei Lifted up to (;<>d in prayer tor that Wes> 
sing which I. 
He did not then r< 

kition. Bat while he engaged in his public 
duly, ami was unfolding the greatness 

dinpal ;dl his fears, and i» till lu» heart with 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 83 

Transported with the enjoyment of this blessing 
he returned home, glorifying the xluthor of all his 
mercies, and tenderly concerned for his fellow- 
creatures, who were either seeking the same ines- 
timable gem, or living without hope and without 
God in the world. He soon announced from the 
pulpit the blessing he had experienced ; and his lan- 
guage partook of the fervour of his spirit. His 
manuscript became too feeble either to convey the 
rapid energy of his thoughts, or to contain the sacred 
fire which glowed in his breast. He had already, 
on peculiar seasons, ventured to make excursions 
beyond its confines ; but from the lesson which ex- 
perience had lately taught him, that out of the 
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, he found 
but little occasion for written discourses. His 
crutches were therefore thrown aside ; and, under 
the teachings of the Holy Spirit, he began to walk 
boldly onward as a master of Israel. In this step 
also God was pleased to acknowledge his servant ; 
a peculiar unction attended his word ; and under his 
first extempore sermon three souls were awakened 
by his ministry. 

But it was not to be expected that the idle, the 
thoughtless, the ignorant, the self-righteous, and 
the profane, throughout the extensive parish of 
South Petherton, would quietly suffer all these 
changes and innovations. In all ages, and in all 
places, the carnal mind is enmity against God. 
This truth Dr. Coke was almost instantly called to 
witness. His preaching without a book, — the ear- 



94 koductoet to 

■.ostnnss of his exhortations,— the plainness of his 

i :iM , Mll/ ,.._; i:i ,i \ n> sjtsJMkktaf t-vf-nm- befevsi m 
the villages, all conspired to give offence, sad to 

Dt in the perish and oe 
hourhood. men in his vicinity were dis- 

pleased at n of accustomed OTder, sod 

because his preaching drew sway msny of their re- 
enteel part of his own parish 
wer . i common sea i eat 

his severe reproof of sin ; and the moral at hi> 

mental acqusint- 

introduced 

the staging of hymn* into the church, the singers 

:1 parties joined in the 

- .1 clamour. 

• fusal of the bishops to ixksoad 

: s enemies t ; lne 

parish; who. to gratify their wishes, became one 
•!v. and pro 
d had rendered him 

M faithful an I ' tb« 

; and on an appointed day, without 

wn ■•■I ■ 
I address to his congregation, he was ab- 
ruptly dismissed, on !u e people, 
from that church where h<- had preached 

three NUB, Viul, n 

then mum; llycs 

the parish 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 85 

As the removal of the doctor from his curacy, 
though sudden and unexpected to him, was the re- 
sult of deliberate calculation among his enemies, 
another curate had been provided to supply his 
place. This gentleman, who stepped immediately 
into the vacant pulpit, perfectly understood the part 
he was to act. He accordingly introduced himself 
to the notice of his congregation by preaching 
against the doctor, and by attempting to counteract 
those heresies which he had of late propagated. 

Banished from the citadel of consecration, it was 
resolved that, on. the two ensuing Sundays, he 
should stand near the church, and begin to preach 
just as the people left it, since he could no longer 
address them from the pulpit within. When the 
day arrived, he took his stand and began his dis- 
course, and found himself surrounded by a promiscu- 
ous crowd of enemies and friends. 

It was plain to all, that the doctor had been crushed 
by an act of local authority, which, without appealing 
to justice, had sheltered itself under the sanction 
of law. Many, therefore, who disapproved of his 
preaching, viewed him now as an object of oppression, 
and espoused his cause more, perhaps, from enmity 
to his oppressors, than from any real attachment to 
him ; and several among them determined to defend 
the injured man, whom they thought they had a right 
to ridicule, and even to traduce, on other occasions. 

Thus circumstanced, between the jarring opinions 
of his avowed enemies, — of many who had taken no 
decided part, — of his transient supporters, — and of 



86 

his permanent friends, the 

it sermon in peace 
fi finding that he intended preach- 
ing again on the ensuing - 

aspera'' Irhmit any hesitation, threatened 

to stone him, in case he made his second appearance. 

leaed nor deterred, 

k begaa t«> think * 

that might ensue if he persisted ; 

especially as hostile preparations were actually 

• • resided at this time, not far from 1' 
ton, an amiable family of dissenters, named Edmonds. 
1 uiilw which was of no small respectability, 

d of the ymtleman and his lady, and a son 
and daughter, both gram n t.» maturity. The son and 
daughter, though bred up as dissenters, on hearing 
the report of the doctor's preaching, in times pal, 

attend the church. Th 
did : and conceiving an attachment for him, they be- 
came lus legale* hearers. On the morning el the 
Sunday after his expulsion, when the parents 
proceeded iuiiu-ir <■ antion- 

ehildrea aL r I mreh v\\ that 

us that bad been concert- 
ed, and their .strong attachment I l*ru- 
therefore, directed them to give these admo- 
. from an apprelu 

!\ed m troubles which they could nei- 
■ -dv mi prevent. 
Scarcely, however t had the cautious parents left 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 87 

their home, before their courageous son and daugh- 
ter began to reflect on the perilous situation of their 
friend ; and, thinking it mean to desert him in time 
of need, their affection prevailed over parental admo- 
nitions ; they therefore took their horses, and rode 
immediately to Petherton. Among the preparations 
that were made to annoy the congregation, and to 
drive the doctor from the field, a large quantity of 
stones had been collected and placed in some ham- 
pers, near the spot on which he was expected to 
stand. But these hostile appearances were insuffi- 
cient to divert the Edmonds's from their purpose. 
They accordingly placed themselves, when the doc- 
tor began, one on the right hand and the other on 
the left, to wait the impending event. To these were 
joined a great number of other real friends, who had 
rallied around him in this moment of danger ; and 
with these associated the enemies of persecution, 
so that only an inconsiderable party was found to 
patronize the hampers, and discharge their contents ; 
and these were from the common rabble, which every 
town and parish can produce. 

Why men, whose deeds are evil, should prefer 
darkness to light, requires no great degree of pene- 
tration to discover. It was now open daylight ; and 
the persons of all were well known to many, who, 
from the countenance which, by their present atti- 
tude, they seemed to give the doctor, tacitly declared 
that they intended to espouse his cause against eve- 
ry attempt of illegal violence. Under these circum- 
stances, it became a matter of prudent calculation 



88 

iii3di»cour»e, 

. 

could ri- 
al con- 
cluding without any a«-t of hostility, lh< 

tor with litem to their habil 

parents ; and 
ii hone 

during all Ins futui 

united with .Mi . irinu the lab 

cesses, and enjoying the confidence of that en 
man to the period of his death. 

" Meanwhile the doctor's opponents had no great 
comfort of their triumph. The worth of 

appreciated till w. 
walking the >:. >urnful 

Countenance. The poor had lost their hen 

the people thru- pastor, the sick their eomforti 

the wicked tin- only person thai kept tbeB in 
But on the doctor's future visit, .- 

I 

amosl i'» chastise their own folly. 'Well, 1 

said th< • </ hun out, and SOW ■ 

atone for our error, by ringing hun in.' Such are 
iring adversity with a hi 

. p. 410. 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 89 

LUTHER ON PILATE'S STAIRCASE. 
For some time after the light of truth began to 
dawn on the mind of Luther, he submitted to all the 
vain practices which the Romish Church enjoins, in 
order to purchase the remission of sins. One day, 
during his visit to Rome, wishing to obtain an in- 
dulgence promised by the pope to any one who 
should ascend, on his knees, what is called Pilate's 
Staircase, the poor Saxon monk was slowly climb- 
ing those steps, which they told him had been mira- 
culously transported from Jerusalem to Rome. But 
while he was going through with the meritorious 
work, he thought he heard a voice, like thunder, 
speaking from the depth of his heart, " The just 
shall live by faith" He started up in terror on the 
steps up which he had been crawling ; he was hor- 
rified at himself; and, struck with shame for the de- 
gradation to which superstition had debased him, he 
fled from the scene of his folly. This was the deci- 
sive epoch in the inward life of Luther. 

« BEHOLD HOW GREAT A MATTER A LITTLE 

FIRE KINDLETH." 
The following striking fact, related by one of the 
general agents of the American Tract Society, 
illustrates in a peculiar manner the feeble means 
which the Holy Spirit often employs in bringing 
about his blessed results. " Last week," says he, 
" among other donations, I received that of the little 
four-page tract, ' My Spirit shall not always strive,' 



IH CI 

from | highly esteemed ; 
said it \ 

in officer of rk har- 

distributor c 
him a tract. !!•• received it very ungrac 
the man to I ng him what 

and telling him he might be in better 
i he distributor mihT . 
him, and besought him to pal the tract in hit ; 
and when he Bheold be at t a care- 

ting. Impressed bj his earnest manner and 
« ve. he pot it in his pocket. While at sea, 
SOBM time alter, he discovered the tract in his 
pocket, and read it. Its solemn and awakening 
truths went like an arrow to his heart. During the 

ler of the voj 
the Holy Spirit might have him befoi 
was made with Cod. * ( >. brother, 1 said he, ' could 
I then h:ive had your other tract. M Whal is it to 
in Christ '" I should have found peace many 
months sooner than I did.' After his ronve: - 
1 Christian. 

r or two he abandoned i: 
and for his been labouring with no or- 

dinary degree of success as a preacher oft' 
pel. having been tin- means of 
churches, and of converting many son 

I tins htt!c tr:i,-i. and think what trains of 
and salvation | , ,- been 

by us feeble instrumentality. 1 And in H a 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 91 

moving argument for increased faithfulness in sow- 
ing such seed myself, and in stirring up others to 
sow it more bountifully. O that Christians under- 
stood and realized how God's Spirit is hovering 
over dark, ignorant, sin-ruined minds, waiting to 
have such seed sown there, that he may cause it to 
spring up and bear fruit to the glory of God." 

REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD. 
This celebrated man was the son of poor parents. 
His father died while he was young, and before he 
was fifteen he persuaded his mother to take him 
from' school, saying, that she could not place him at 
the university, and more learning would only spoil 
him for a tradesman. Her own circumstances, in- 
deed, were by this time so much on the decline, 
that his menial services were required : he began 
occasionally to assist her in the public house, till at 
length he " put on his blue apron, washed mops, 
cleaned rooms, and became a professed and common 
drawer." In the little leisure which such employ- 
ments allowed, this strange boy composed two or 
three sermons ; and the romances which had been 
his heart's delight, gave place for a while to Thomas 
a Kempis. 

When he had been about a year in this servile 
occupation, the inn was made over to a married 
brother, and George, being accustomed to the house, 
continued there as an assistant ; but he could not 
agree with his sister-in-law, and, after much uneasi- 
ness, gave up the situation. His mother, though her 



92 

means were scanty, perm a bed 

upon the ground in her house, and live with ; 
■ nee should point out a place for him 
way was soon indicated. A servitor of Pembroke 
College called upon his mother, and in the course 
of conversation told her, thai after all his college 
expenses for that quarter were discharged, he had 
received a penny. She immediately cried out, This 
will do for my son ; and ttiruinu to him. said, Will 
you go to Oxford, George 1 Happening to have the 
same friends as this young man, she waited on 
them without delay ; they promised their interest to 
obtain a servitor's place in the same college, and, in 
reliance upon this, George returned to the grammar- 
school. Here he applied closely to his books, and 
shaking off, by the strong effort of a religious mind, 
all evil and idle courses, produced, by the influence 
of his talents and example, some reformation among 
his school-fellows. He attended public service 
constantly, received the sacrament monthly, 
often, and prayed often more than twice a day fan 
private. At the age of eighteen he 
to Oxford ; the recommendation of his friends was 
successful ; another friend borrowed for hfl 
pounds, to defray the expense of entering ; and 
with a good fortune beyond bis hopes, he was ad- 
mitted servitor immediately. 

Whitefield found the advantage of bavin.: 
to a public house ; many who could i 
their servitor preferred him, because of bis diligent 
and alert attendance ; and thus, bj help of the pro- 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 93 

fits of the place, and some little presents made him 
by a kind-hearted tutor, he was enabled to live, 
without being beholden to his relations for more 
than four and twenty pounds in the course of three 
years. 

At first he was rendered uncomfortable by the 
society into which he was thrown ; he had several 
chamber-fellows, who would fain have made him 
join them in their riotous mode of life ; and as he 
could only escape from their persecutions by sitting 
alone in his study, he was sometimes benumbed with 
cold ; but when they perceived the strength as well 
as the singularity of his character, they suffered 
him to take his own way in peace. 
• Before Whitefield went to Oxford, he had heard 
of the young men there who " lived by rule and me- 
thod," and were therefore called Methodists. They 
were now much talked of, and generally despised. 
He, however, was drawn toward them by kindred 
feelings, defended them strenuously when he heard 
them reviled, and when he saw them go through a 
ridiculing crowd to receive the sacrament at St. 
Mary's, was strongly inclined to follow their exam- 
ple. For more than a year he yearned to be ac- 
quainted with them ; and it seems that the sense of 
his inferior condition kept him back. At length the 
great object of his desires was effected. A pauper 
had attempted suicide, and Whitefield sent a poor 
woman to inform Charles Wesley that he might visit 
the person, and administer spiritual medicine ; the 
messenger was charged not to say who sent her : 



94 

1 • mently 

invited him l 
An introduction to this little fello 
IfeJhodials] soon followed; and he also, like them, 
rule, ami to pick ap tt 
bifl time, that not a mom* 
might bo losl 

When visiting America, the Rer. (r. WhitefiHd 
often stood on the outside steps of the court-house 
in Philadelphia, and preached to thoosaJM 
crowded the streets below. On one of these occa- 
sions, a youth pr< .r to his favourite; 
preacher as possible ; and. to testily his respect, held 
a lantern tor his accommodation. .Soon alter the 
sermon began, he became so absorbed in the sub- 
ject, that the lantern fell from his hand, and was 
dashed to pieces ; and that part of the audience in 
the immediate vicinity of the s; • 
not a little discomposed by the ocourn 

Some yean after, .Mi. Wlutelield, in the course 

of his fifth visit to America, about tin 

a journey from the southward, called at S 

in Delaware, where Mr. Rodger* wai then settled 
m the ministry, and spenl some time with lum. In 
the amuse of this visit, Mr. Rodgers, riding one 
day with his \ isitor m a ofose C bed him 

whether he recollected llic occurrence of the little 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 95 

boy who was so much affected with his preaching 
as to let the lantern fall. Mr. Whitefield answered, 
" yes ! I remember it well ; and have often 
thought I would give anything in my power to know 
who that little boy was, and what had become of 
him." Mr. Rodgers replied, with a smile, " I am 
that little boy." Mr. Whitefield, with tears of joy, 
started from his seat, clasped him in his arms, and 
with strong emotions remarked, that he was the 
fourteenth person then in the ministry, whom he 
had discovered in the course of that visit to Ame- 
rica, of whose hopeful conversion he had been the 
instrument. 

REV. JOHN CLARK 
After the late Rev. John Clark, of Trowbridge, 
had been engaged in the ministry for a few years, 
his mind became greatly depressed with a view of 
its responsibility, a sense of his own inability, and 
the want of more success. At length these discou- 
ragements were so oppressive, that he assured some 
Christian friends, one Sabbath afternoon, that he 
could preach no longer. In vain did they try to 
remove his difficulties, or to persuade him at least 
to address the congregation that evening, as no sup- 
ply could be obtained. He declared his positive 
inability to preach any more. At this moment a 
pious old woman applied to speak to the minister. 
Being admitted, she requested him to preach from 
that text, " Then I said, I will speak no more in his 
name : but his word was in my heart as a burning 



96 INCIDENTS INTRODUCTORY TO 

fire shut up in my bones, and I was wean' with for- 
bearing, and 1 could not stay." Jer. xx, 9. She 
stated that she did not know where the words were, 
but that her mind was so much impressed with 
them, that she could not forbear to request him to 
from them that evening. Being satisfied 
that she was entirely unacquainted with the circum- 
stances which had just transpired, Mr. Clark was 
turn fid that Providence had thus interposed that he 
should continue his ministry. He preached that 
evening from the text thus given, and never after- 
wards was greatly distressed on the subject. 

REV. WILLIAM TEXXEXT. 
During the great revival of religion in America, 
which took place under Mr. Whitefield, and others 
distinguished for their piety and zeal at that period, 
Mr. Tennent was laboriously active, and much en- 
gaged to help forward the work ; in the perform- 
ance of which he met with strong and powerful 
temptations. The following is from his own lips : — 
On the evening preceding public worship, he se- 
lected a subject for the discourse intended to be de- 
livered, and made some progress in his preparations. 
In the morning he resumed the same subject, with 
an intention to extend his thoughts further on it ; 
l. ut w;is presently assaulted with a temptation that 
the Bible was not of divine authority, bat the inven- 
tion of man. He instantly endearonred to repel the 
temptation by prayer, but his endeavours proved un- 
availing. The temptation continued, and fastened 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 97 

upon him with greater strength as the time advanced 
for public service. He lost all the thoughts which 
he had prepared on the preceding evening. He 
tried other subjects, but could get nothing for the 
people. The whole book of God, under that dis- 
tressing state of mind, was a sealed book to him ; 
and, to add to his affliction, he was " shut up in 
prayer :" a cloud, dark as that of Egypt, oppressed 
his mind. 

Thus agonized in spirit, he proceeded to the 
church, where he found a large congregation as- 
sembled, and waiting to hear the word ; and then he 
was more deeply distressed than ever ; and espe- 
cially for the dishonour which he feared would fall 
upon religion through him that day. He resolved, 
however, to attempt the service. He introduced it 
by singing a psalm, during which time his agitation 
increased to the highest degree. When the mo- 
ment for prayer commenced he arose, as one in the 
most painful and perilous situation, and, with arms 
extended to heaven, began with this exclamation, 
" Lord, have mercy upon me !" On the utterance 
of this petition he was heard ; the thick cloud in- 
stantly broke away, and light shone upon his soul. 
The result was a deep solemnity throughout the 
congregation ; and the house, at the end of the prayer, 
was a place of weeping. He delivered the subject 
of his evening meditations, which was brought to his 
full remembrance, with an overflowing abundance 
of other weighty and solemn matter. The Lord 
blessed this discourse, so that it proved the happy 
1 



98 INCIDENTS INTRODUCTORY TO 

means of the conversion of about thirty persons. 
This day he ever afterwards spoke of as " his har- 
vest-day." 

REV. GIDEON OUSELEY. 
In this bold, generous, and intrepid man, there waa 
nothing common-place. He refused a peerage, and 
gave up the estates of his ancestors for the privilege 
of preaching the gospel, amid dangers and difficul- 
ties seldom encountered in modern times. He usu- 
ally preached twenty-one sermons in a week, two 
each day in the open air, and one in the evening in 
a church, house, or barn, as circumstances rendered 
convenient. Thousands of sermons he delivered on 
horseback, in the market-places, at horse-races, or 
cock-fights. He was often waylaid and beaten, and 
sometimes left for dead. The Romish clergy hated 
him with bitter hatred, and attempts were often made 
upon his life, yet he always escaped, except in one 
case with the loss of an eye. Thousands were 
converted through his instrumentality, many of them 
from Romanism. He had the advantages of a clas- 
sical education, w f as fluent of speech, had a constitu- 
tion of iron, and spoke with equal readiness in Eng- 
lish and the native Irish languages. His fund of 
ready wit was inexhaustible, and his love to souls 
" like fire shut up in his bones." His introduction 
to the work of an evangelist is characteristic and 
instructive. Seeing the destitution of his country- 
men, his soul pitied ; the voice of their misery 
sounded in his ears, "Cone « > v ♦ • r ;iikI help us." 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 99 

The Divine Spirit spoke to his heart, " Go preach 
the gospel." " Lord," he replied, "lam a poor 
ignorant creature ; behold, I cannot speak, for I am 
a child." Then would it rush into his mind, "Do 
you not know the disease V "O, yes, Lord, I do." 
" And do you not know the cure V " O, yes, glory 
be to thy name, I do." " Then go and tell them of 
the disease and the cure." "So, then," said he, 
" with only these two things, the knowledge of the 
disease and the cure, I went forth. All glory to 
my Divine Master !" 

REV. WILBUR FISK. 

" How ready he is to go, 

Whom God hath never sent ; 
How cautious, diffident, and slow, 
His chosen instrument."— C. Wesley. 

This eminent minister of the Lord Jesus felt 
the full force of the preceding lines. " We have," 
says his biographer, Dr. Holdich, " an insight upon 
this subject into his inmost feelings. It is afforded 
by a paper containing his reflections, thrown into the 
form of a dialogue between himself and his Divine 
Master, in which his objections to the step are stated 
and answered. This dialogue he once rehearsed, 
in the year 1838, as though it related to another 
person, at a meeting which he attended, of, I be- 
lieve, the Preachers' Aid Society, in the city of 
Baltimore. 

DIALOGUE. 

Christ. Go preach my gospel. 

Answer. But, Lord, I have other engagements, 



100 INCIDENTS INTRODUCTORY TO 

C. You arc not your own ; you are bought with 
a price. 

A. But, Lord, I have been preparing myself for 
another profession. I have been struggling for an 
education, and I have high prospects before me. 

C. What have you that you have not received 1 

A. Lord, I have strong domestic feelings, and I 
hope one day to have a family and home of my own. 

C. He that loveth houses or lands, wife or child- 
ren, more than me, is not worthy of me. 

A . Lord, I have aged parents, and I am an only 
son. Filial love and duty require that I should look 
after them. 

C. He that loveth father or mother more than 
me is not worthy of me. 

A. Lord, is there no excuse "? May not another 
answer ! 

C. The gifts and callings of God are without 
repentance. 

A. At least let me first stop and bury my father 
and mother. 

C. Let the dead bury their dead. 

A. At any rate, I must wait awhile, and acquire 
some property, &c. 

C. He that, putteth his hand to the plough, and 
looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom of heaven. 

A. Lord, I cannot go. 

C. Wo unto you if you preach not the gospel. 

A. But, Lord, wilt thou not pity a poor, helpless 
wretch, who begs for an excuse as one would plead 
for life 1 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 101 

C. Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he be- 
came poor, that ye, through his poverty, might be 
rich. 

Here the dialogue ended. The young man co- 
vered his face with his hands, and bursting into 
tears, cried, 

u Nay, but I yield, I yield !" 

The bond was signed and sealed, and the youth was 
consigned over, soul and body, to the Church. The 
next thing I saw of him, he was threading a pathless 
forest among the Green Mountains, bordering upon 
the Canada line, driving his horse before him be- 
cause of the roughness of the wilderness, cheerful 
as an angel on an errand of mercy. And I heard 
his song, with which he made the rugged mountain- 
tops reverberate ; and what, sir, do you think it 
was? 

" No foot of land do I possess, 
Nor cottage in this wilderness,— 

A poor wayfaring man ; 
I lodge awhile in tents below, 
Or gladly wander to and fro, 
Till I my Canaan gain. 

" Nothing on earth I call my own ; 
A stranger, to the world unknown, 

I all their goods despise ; 
I trample on their whole delight, 
And seek a city out of sight, 
A city in the skies." 



102 INCIDENTS INTRODUCTORY TO 

REV. J. W. FLETCHER. 
After Mr. Fletcher had gone through the usual 
course of study at the University of Geneva, it was 
the desire of his parents that he should be a clergy- 
man. " And as far as nature can furnish a man," 
says Mr. Gilpin, "for offices of a sacred kind, per- 
haps there never was a person better qualified to 
sustain the character of a minister of Jesus Christ 
than Mr. Fletcher. His disposition and habits, his 
sentiments and studies, his reverential awe of God, 
his insatiable thirst after truth, and his uncommon 
abhorrence of vice, gave his friends abundant reason 
to apprehend that he was marked, at an early age, 
for the service of the Church. Contrary, however, 
to all expectation, and contrary to the first designs 
of his family, before he had arrived to the age of 
twenty, he manifested views of a very opposite na- 
ture. His theological studies gave place to the 
systems of Vauban and Cohorn, and he evidently pre- 
ferred the camp to the Church. All the remon- 
strances of his friends, on this apparent change in 
his disposition, were totally ineffectual ; and, had it 
not been for repeated disappointments, he would 
have wielded another sword than that of the Spirit. 
Happily, his projects for the field were constantly 
baffled and blasted by the appointments of that God 
who reserved him for a more important scene of 
action. His choice of the army is, however, to be 
imputed rather to principle than inclination. On 
the one hand, he detested the irregularities and 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 103 

vices to which a military life would expose him ; on 
the other, he dreaded the condemnation he might 
incur by acquitting himself unfaithfully in the pas- 
toral office. He conceived it abundantly easier to 
toil for glory in fields of blood than to labour for 
God, with unwearied perseverance, in the vineyard 
of the Church. He believed himself qualified rather 
for military operations than for spiritual employ- 
ments, and the exalted ideas he entertained of the 
holy ministry determined him to seek some other 
profession more adapted to the weakness of human- 
ity, and he preferred being an officer in the army to 
all others." 

Not being able to gain the consent of his parents 
to his going into the army, according to Mr. Wes- 
ley, he went away to Lisbon. Here, it seems, he 
gathered a company of his own countrymen, ac- 
cepted of a captain's commission, and engaged to 
serve the king of Portugal on board a man-of-war, 
which was just then getting ready with all speed in 
order to sail to Brazil. He then wrote to his pa- 
rents, begging them to send him a considerable sum 
of money. Of this he expected to make a vast ad- 
vantage. But they refused him. Unmoved by this, 
he determined to go without it as soon as the ship 
sailed. But in the morning the maid, waiting on 
him at breakfast, let the tea-kettle fall, and so 
scalded his leg, that he kept his bed for a considera- 
ble time after. During that time the ship sailed for 
Brazil. But it was observed that the ship was 
heard of no more. 



104 INCIDENTS INTRODUCTORY TO 

The following incident is equally affecting and 
instructive : — " About the time of my entering the 
ministry," says he, " I one evening wandered into a 
wood, musing on the importance of the office I was 
about to undertake. I then began to pour out my 
soul in prayer, when such a feeling sense of the jus- 
tice of God fell upon me, and such a sense of his 
displeasure at sin, as absorbed all my powers, and 
filled my soul with an agony of prayer for poor lost 
sinners. I continued therein till the dawn of day, 
and I considered this as designed of God to impress 
upon me more deeply the meaning of those solemn 
words, ' Therefore, knowing the terrors of the Lord, 
we persuade men.' " 

REV. ALEXANDER HENDERSON. 
The celebrated Mr. Alexander Henderson, who 
lived in the seventeenth century, was presented by 
Archbishop Gladstanes to the parish of Leuchars in 
Fife. His settlement was so unpopular, that on the 
day of ordination, the church doors were shut and 
secured by the people, so that the ministers who at- 
tended, together with the precentor, were obliged to 
go in by the window. Shortly after, having heard 
of a communion in the neighbourhood, at which the 
excellent Mr. Bruce was to be an assistant, he went 
thither secretly ; and, fearful of attracting notice, 
placed himself in a dark corner of the church, where 
he might not readily be seen or known. Mr. Bruce 
having come into the pulpit, paused for a little, as 
was his usual manner, a circumstance which ex- 



MINISTERIAL LABOUR. 105 

cited Mr. Henderson's surprise ; but it astonished 
him much more when he heard him read as his text, 
these very striking words, " He that entereth not 
in by the door, but climbeth up some other way, the 
same is a thief and a robber ;" — which words, by 
the blessing of God, and the effectual working of the 
Holy Spirit, took such hold on him at that very in- 
stant, and left such an impression on his heart after- 
wards, that they proved the very first means of his 
conversion unto Christ. Ever after he retained a 
great affection for Mr. Bruce, and used to make 
mention of him with marks of the highest respect. 



106 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 



MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 



EMINENT PIETY. 



REV. J. W. FLETCHER. 

Op this distinguished minister the poet Southey says, 
" He was a man of rare talents and rarer virtue. No 
age or country has produced a man of more fervent 
piety or more perfect charity ; no church has ever pos- 
sessed a more apostolic minister." Mr. Wesley says, 
" I was intimately acquainted with him for thirty years. 
I conversed with him morning, noon, and night, with- 
out the least reserve, during a journey of many hun- 
dred miles. And in all that time I never heard him 
speak an improper word, or saw him do an improper 
action. To conclude : — Within fourscore years I 
have known many excellent men, holy in heart and 
life. But one equal to him I have not known ; one so 
uniformly and deeply devoted to God. So unblama- 
ble a man in every respect I have not found. either in 
Europe or America. Nor do I expect to find ano- 
ther such on this side eternity." 

The love of God and of man abounded in his heart ; 
and finding among the Methodists that sympathy 
which he desired, he joined them, and, for a time, 
took to ascetic courses, of which he afterwards ac- 



EMINENT PIETY. 107 

knowledged the error. He lived on vegetables, and, 
for some time, on milk and water, and bread ; he sat 
up two whole nights in every week, for the purpose 
of praying, and reading and meditating on religious 
things ; and, on the other nights, never allowed him- 
self to sleep, as long as he could keep his attention 
to the book before him. At length, by the advice 
of his friend, Mr. Hill, and of Mr. Wesley, whom 
he consulted, he took orders in the English Church. 
The ordination took place in the Chapel-Royal, St. 
James's, and, as soon as it was over, he went to the 
Methodist chapel in West-street, where he assisted 
in administering the Lord's Supper. Mr. Wesley had 
never received so seasonable an assistance. " How 
wonderful are the ways of God !" said he, in his 
Journal. " When my bodily strength failed, and 
none in England were able and willing to assist me, 
He sent me help from the mountains of Switzerland, 
and an help meet for me in every respect. Where 
could I have found such another !" It proved a more 
efficient and important help than Mr. Wesley could 
then have anticipated. 

By Mr. Hill's means, he was presented to the 
vicarage of Madeley in Shropshire, about three years 
after his ordination. It is a populous village, in which 
there were extensive collieries and iron-works ; and 
the character of the inhabitants was, in consequence, 
what, to the reproach and curse of England, it gene- 
rally is, wherever mines or manufactures of any kind 
have brought together a crowded population. Mr. 
Fletcher had, at one time, officiated there as curate ; 



108 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

he now entered upon his duty with zeal proportioned 
to the arduous nature of the service which he had 
pledged himself to perform. That zeal made him 
equally disregardful of appearances and of danger. 
The whole rents of his small patrimonial estate in 
the Pays de Vaud were set apart for charitable uses, 
and he drew so liberally from his other funds for the 
same purpose, that his furniture and wardrobe were 
not spared. Because some of his remoter parishion- 
ers excused themselves for not attending the morn- 
ing service, by pleading that they did not wake early 
enough to get their families ready, for some months 
he set out every Sunday, at five o'clock, with a bell 
in his hand, and went round the most distant part* 
of the parish, to call up the people. And wherever 
hearers could be collected in the surrounding coun- 
try, within ten or fifteen miles, thither he went to 
preach to them on week-days, though he seldom got 
home before one or two o'clock in the morning. At 
first, the rabble of his parishioners resented the man- 
ner in which he ventured to reprove and exhort them 
in the midst of their lewd revels and riotous meetings ; 
for he would frequently burst in upon them, without 
any fear of the consequence to himself. The pub- 
licans and maltmen were his especial enemies. A 
mob of colliers, who were one day baiting a bull, 
determined to pull him off his horse as he went to 
preach, set the dogs upon him, and, in their own 
phrase, bait the parson ; but the bull broke loose, and 
dispersed them before he arrived. In spite, however, 
of the opposition which his fidelity excited, not from 



EMINENT PIETY. 109 

the ignorant only, but from some of the neighboring 
clergy and magistrates, he won upon the people, rude 
and brutal as they were, by the invincible benevolence 
which was manifested in his whole manner of life ; till 
at length his church, which at first had been so scanti- 
ly attended, that he was discouraged as well as mor- 
tified by the smallness of the congregation, began to 
overflow. 

TURNING ALL THINGS INTO PRAYER. 
The pious Elliott, the Apostle to the Indians, knew 
from happy experience the benefits of prayer, and 
was ever urgent to promote it among others. When 
he was informed of any important public news, he 
would say, " Brethren, let us turn all this into prayer." 

When he paid a visit to his friends, he would say, 
" Come, let us not have a visit without prayer. Let 
us pray down the blessing of heaven upon your fami- 
ly before we go." 

Whenever he was in company with ministers, he 
would say, " Brethren, the Lord Jesus takes notice 
of what is said and done among his ministers ; come, 
let us pray before we part." 

To young preachers he frequently said, " Pray, 
let there be much of Christ in your ministry." Hav- 
ing heard a sermon that greatly savoured of Christ, 
he would say, " Blessed be God, that we have Christ 
so much and so well preached in poor New-England. " 

At the end of his Indian Grammar he wrote, 
" Prayers and pains, through faith in Christ, will do 
anything." 



110 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

BISHOP ANDREWS. 
The bishop of Ely, in his funeral sermon for this ex- 
cellent prelate, thus delineates his character : — His 
admirable knowledge in the learned tongues, Latin, 
Greek, Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Arabic, besides 
other modern tongues, to the number of fifteen, as I 
am informed, was such, that he may well be ranked 
as one of the rarest linguists in Christendom. Of 
this reverend prelate, I may say his life was a life 
of prayer. A great part of five hours every day he 
spent in prayer and devotion to God. After the 
death of his brother, Thomas Andrews, whom he 
loved dearly, he began to anticipate his own, which 
he said would be in the end of summer, or the be- 
ginning of winter. And when his brother, Nicholas 
Andrews, died, he took that as a certain warning of 
his own death ; and, from that time to the hour of 
his dissolution, he spent his time in prayer. During 
his last sickness he continued, when awake, to pray 
audibly, till his strength failed, and then, by lifting 
up his eyes and hands, showed that he still prayed ; 
and even when voice, eyes, and hands failed in their 
office, his countenance showed that he still prayed 
and praised God in his heart, till it pleased God to 
receive his blessed soul to himself, which was about 
four o'clock in the morning of Monday, the 25th of 
September, 1626. 



EMINENT PIETY. Ill 



REV. JAMES HERVEY. 
Mr. Hervey was eminently pious, and diligently 
cultivated personal religion. His man-servant slept 
in the room immediately above that of his master. 
One night, long after the family had retired, he awoke, 
and hearing the groans of his master in his bed-room, 
immediately went down and opened the door. But in- 
stead of finding his master in his bed, as he expect- 
ed, he saw him prostrate on the floor, engaged in 
earnest prayer to God. Like Jacob, he wept and 
made supplication. Disturbed at this unseasonable 
interruption, Mr. H — , with his usual mildness, only 
said, " John, you should not have entered the room, 
unless I had rung the bell." 

. For some years before his death, Mr. Hervey 
visited but few persons belonging to the higher classes 
of society in his neighbourhood ; and being asked 
why he declined visiting those who were always rea- 
dy to show him every token of respect, he replied, 
" I can hardly name a polite family where the con- 
versation turns upon the things of God. I hear much 
frothy and worldly chit-chat, but not a word of Christ, 
and I am determined not to visit those companies 
where there is not room for my Master, as well as 
for myself." 

REV. THOMAS WALSH. 
Thomas Walsh was the son of a carpenter at Bal- 
ly Lynn, in the county of Limerick. His parents 



112 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

were strong Romanists ; they taught him the Lord's 
Prayer and the Ave Maria, in Irish, which was his 
mother tongue, and the hundred and thirtieth psalm 
in Latin : and he was taught also, that all who differ 
from the Church of Rome are in a state of damna- 
tion. At eight years of age he went to school to learn 
English ; and was afterwards placed with one of 
his brothers, who was a schoolmaster, to learn Latin 
and mathematics. At nineteen he opened a school 
for himself. The brother, by whom he was instruct- 
ed, had been intended for the priesthood : he was a 
man of tolerable learning, and of an inquiring mind, 
and seeing the errors of the Romish Church, he re- 
nounced it. This occasioned frequent disputes with 
Thomas Walsh, who was a strict Catholic ; the one 
alleging the traditions and canons of the church, the 
other appealing to the law and to the testimony. 
" My brother, why do you not read God's word V* 
the elder would say : " lay aside prejudice, and let us 
reason together." After many struggles between the 
misgivings of his mind, and the attachment to the 
opinions in which he had been bred up, and the thought 
of his parents, and shame, and the fear of man, this 
state of suspense became intolerable, and he prayed 
to God in his trouble. " All things are known to 
Thee," he said, in his prayer, " and Thou seest that 
I want to worship Thee aright ! Show me the way 
wherein I ought to go, nor suffer me to be deceived 
by men !" 

He then went to his brother, determined either to 
convince him, or to be convinced. Some other per- 



EMINENT PIETY. 113 

sons of the Protestant persuasion were present : they 
brought a Bible, and with it Nelson's Festivals and 
Fasts of the Church of England ; and, with these 
books before them, they discussed the subject till mid- 
night. It ended in his fair and complete conversion. 
" I was constrained," said he, " to give place to the 
light of truth : it was so convincing, that I had no- 
thing more to say : I was judged of all ; and at length 
confessed the weakness of my former reasonings, and 
the strength of those which were opposed to me. 
About one o'clock in the morning I retired to my 
lodging, and, according to my usual custom, went to 
prayer ; but now only to the God of heaven. I no 
longer prayed to any angel or spirit ; for I was deep- 
ly persuaded that ' there is but one God, and one 
Mediator between God and man, the man Christ 
Jesus.' Therefore I resolved no longer to suffer 
any man to beguile me into a voluntary humility, in 
worshipping either saints or angels. These latter 1 
considered as ' ministering spirits, sent to minister to 
them who shall be heirs of salvation.' But with re- 
gard to any worship being paid them, one of them- 
selves said, ' See thou do it not ; worship God, God 
only.' All my sophisms on this head were entirely 
overthrown by a few hours candid reading the Holy 
Scriptures, which were become as a lantern to my 
feet, and a lamp to my paths, directing me in the way 
wherein I should go." Soon afterwards he publicly 
abjured the errors of the Church of Rome. 

This had been a sore struggle : a more painful 
part of his progress was yet to come. He read the 



114 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

Scriptures diligently, and the works of some of the 
most eminent Protestant divines ; his conviction was 
confirmed by this course of study ; and, from per- 
ceiving clearly the fallacious nature and evil conse- 
quences of the doctrine of merits, as held by the Ro- 
manists, a dismal view of human nature opened upon 
him. His soul was not at rest ; it was no longer 
harassed by doubts, but the peace of God was want- 
ing. In this state of mind, he happened one evening 
to be passing along the main street in Limerick, when 
he saw a great crowd on the parade, and turning 
aside to know for what they were assembled, found 
that Robert Swindells, one of the first itinerants in 
Ireland, was then delivering a sermon in the open air. 
The preacher was earnestly enforcing the words of 
our Redeemer, — words which are worth more than 
all the volumes of philosophy : " Come unto me, all 
ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give 
you rest ! Take my yoke upon you and learn of me ; 
for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find 
rest unto your souls ! For my yoke is easy and my 
burden is light." Walsh was precisely in that state 
which rendered him a fit recipient for the doctrines 
which he now first heard. Yet for some weeks he 
remained in a miserable condition ; he could find no 
rest, either by night or day. " When I prayed," says 
he, " I was troubled ; when I heard a sermon, I was 
pierced as with darts and arrows." He could neither 
sleep nor eat ; his body gave way under this mental 
suffering, and at length he took to his bed. After 
a while fear and wretchedness gradually gave place 



EMINENT PIETY. 115 

to the love of God, and the strong desire for salvation : 
at a meeting, where, he says, " the power of the Lord, 
came down in the midst of them ; the windows of 
heaven were opened, and the skies poured down 
righteousness, and his heart melted like wax before 
the fire." 

" And now," says he, " I felt of a truth, that faith 
is the substance, or subsistence, of things hoped for, 
and the evidence of things not seen. God, and the 
things of the invisible world, of which I had only 
heard before by the hearing of the ear, appeared now, 
in their true light, as substantial realities. Faith 
gave me to see a reconciled God, and an all-sufiicient 
Saviour. The kingdom of God was within me. I 
drew water out of the wells of salvation. I walked 
and talked with God all the day long : whatsoever I 
believed to be his will, I did with my whole heart. 
I could unfeignedly love them that hated me, and 
pray for them that despitefully used and persecuted 
me. The commandments of God were my delight : 
I not only rejoiced evermore, but prayed without ceas- 
ing, and in everything gave thanks ; whether I ate 
or drank, or whatever I did, it was in the name of 
the Lord Jesus, and to the glory of God." He had 
now to undergo more obloquy and ill-will than had 
been brought upon him by his renunciation of the 
errors of the Romish Church. That change his re- 
lations thought was bad enough ; but to become a 
Methodist was worse, and they gave him up as un- 
done forever. And not his relations only, nor the 
Romanists : " Acquaintances and neighbours," says 



116 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

he, " rich and poor, old and young, clergy and laity, 
were all against me. Somo said I was a hypocrite, 
others that I was mad ; others, judging more favoura- 
bly, that I was deceived. Reformed and unreform- 
ed I found to be just alike ; and that many, who spoke 
against the Pope and the Inquisition, were themselves, 
in reality, of the same disposition." 

Convinced that it was his duty now to become a 
minister of that gospel which he had received, he of- 
fered his services to Mr. Wesley, as one who be- 
lieved, and that not hastily or lightly, but after ardent 
aspirations, and continued prayer and study of the 
Scriptures, that he was inwardly moved by the Holy 
Spirit to take upon himself that office. He had pre- 
pared himself, by diligent study of the Scriptures, 
which he read often upon his knees ; and the prayer 
which he was accustomed to use at such times, may 
excite the admiration of those even in whom it shall 
fail to find sympathy. " Lord Jesus, I lay my soul 
at thy feet, to be taught and governed by Thee. 
Take the veil from the mystery, and show me the 
truth as it is in Thyself. Be thou my sun and star, 
by day and by night !" Mr. Wesley told him it was 
hard to judge what God had called him to, till trial 
had been made. He encouraged him to make the 
trial, and desired him to preach in Irish. The com- 
mand of that language gave him a great advantage. 
It was long ago said in Ireland, "When you plead 
for your life, plead in Irish.*" Even the poor Catho- 
lics listened willingly, when they were addressed in 
their mother tongue : his hearers frequently shed si- 



EMINENT PIETY. 117 

lent tears, and frequently sobbed aloud, and cried for 
mercy ; and in country towns the peasantry, who, 
going- there upon market-day, had stopped to hear the 
preacher, from mere wonder and curiosity, were often- 
times melted into tears, and declared that they could 
follow him all over the world. One, who had laid 
aside some money, which he intended to bequeath, 
for the good of his soul, to some priest or friar, offer- 
ed to bequeath it to him if he would accept it. In 
conversation, too, and upon all the occasions which 
occurred in daily life, — at inns, and upon the high- 
way, and in the streets, — this remarkable man omit- 
ted no opportunity of giving religious exhortation to 
those who needed it ; taking care always not to shock 
the prejudices of those whom he addressed and to 
adapt his speech to their capacity. Points of dispute, 
whether they regarded the difference of churches or 
of doctrines, he wisely avoided ; sin, and death, and 
judgment, and redemption, were his themes ; and 
upon these themes he enforced so powerfully at such 
times, that the beggars, to whom he frequently ad- 
dressed himself in the streets, would fall on their 
knees, and beat their breasts, weeping, and crying 
for mercy. x 

Many calumnies were invented to counteract the 
effect which this zealous labourer produced wher- 
ever he went. It was spread abroad that he had 
been a servant boy to a Romish priest, and having 
stolen his master's books, had learned, by that 
means, to preach. But it was not from the Catho- 
lics alone that he met with opposition. He was 



118 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

once waylaid near the town of Rosgrea, by about 
fourscore men, armed with sticks, and bound by oath 
in a confederacy against him ; they were so liberal 
a mob, that provided they could reclaim him from 
Methodism, they appeared not to care what they 
made of him ; and they insisted upon bringing a 
Romish priest, and a minister of the Church of Eng- 
land, to talk with him. Walsh, with great calm- 
ness, explained to them, that he contended with no 
man concerning opinions, nor preached against par- 
ticular churches, but against sin and wickedness in 
all. And he so far succeeded in mitigating their 
disposition toward him, that they offered to let him 
go, provided he would swear never again to 
come to Rosgrea. Walsh would rather have suf- 
fered martyrdom than have submitted to such an 
oath, and martyrdom was the alternative which they 
proposed ; for they carried him into the town, where 
the whole rabble surrounded him, and it was deter- 
mined that he should either swear, or be put into a 
well. The courage with which he refused to bind 
himself by any oath or promise, made him friends 
even among so strange an assembly : some cried out 
vehemently that he should go into the well ; others 
took his part : in the midst of the uproar the parish 
minister came up, and, by his interference, Walsh 
was permitted to depart. At another country town, 
about twenty miles from Cork, the magistrate, who 
was the rector of the place, declared he would com- 
mit him to prison, if he did not promise to preach 
no more in those parts. Walsh replied by asking 



EMINENT PIETY. 119 

if there were no swearers, drunkards, Sabbath- 
breakers, and the like in those parts ; adding that, 
if, after he should have preached there a few times, 
there appeared no reformation among them, he 
would never come there again. Not satisfied with 
such a proposal, the magistrate committed him to 
prison. But Walsh was popular in that town ; the 
people manifested a great interest in his behalf; he 
preached to them from the prison window, and it 
was soon thought advisable to release him. 

His friends described him as appearing like one 
who had returned from the other world ; and per- 
haps it was this unearthly manner which induced a 
Romish priest to assure his flock, that the Walsh, 
who had turned heretic, and went about preaching, 
was dead long since ; and that he who preached un- 
der that name was the devil in his shape. It is said 
that he walked through the streets of London with 
as little attention to all things around him as if he 
had been in a wilderness, unobservant of whatever 
would have attracted the sight of others, and as in- 
different to all sounds of excitement, uproar, and ex- 
ultation, as to the passing wind. He showed the 
same insensibility to the influence of fine scenery 
and sunshine ; the only natural object of which he 
spoke with feeling was the starry firmament, — for 
there he beheld infinity. 

Mr. Wesley acknowledged him to be the best 
biblical scholar whom he had ever known. If he 
were questioned concerning any Hebrew word in 
the Old, or any Greek one in the New Testament, 



120 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

he would tell, after a pause, how often it occurred 
in the Bible, and what it meant in every place. 
Hebrew was his favourite study ; he regarded it as 
a language of divine origin, and therefore perfect. 
44 O truly laudable and worthy study !" he exclaims 
concerning it : " O industry above all praise ! 
whereby a man is enabled to converse with God, 
with holy angels, with patriarchs, and with prophets, 
and clearly to unfold to men the mind of God from 
the language of God !" 

Sometimes he was lost in glorious absence on his 
knees, with his face heavenward, and arms clasped 
round his breast, in such composure, that scarcely 
could he be perceived to breathe. His soul seemed 
absorbed in God ; and from the serenity, and 
" something resembling splendour, which appeared 
on his countenance, and in all his gestures after- 
wards, it might easily be discovered what he had 
been about." Even in sleep the devotional habit 
still predominated, and " his soul went out in groans, 
and sighs, and tears to God." 

REV. JOHtf. SMITH. 
This extraordinary man died at the early age of 
thirty-seven. He commenced his labours as a Wes- 
leyan minister in 1816, and closed them nearly simul- 
taneously with his life on the 3d of November, 1831. 
From his memoir, which none can read without profit, 
and few without tears, a number of incidents have 
been extracted for the present volume. The follow- 
ing, which reveals the secret of his success, is from 



EMINENT PIETY. 121 

•' Sketches of Wesleyan Preachers,' 1 * a very inte- 
resting work, by Robert A. West. 

" Constant communion with God was at the foun- 
dation of Mr. Smith's great usefulness. In this he 
was surpassed by none of any age. Whole nights 
were often given up to prayer, and always, when in 
anything like moderate health — often too when 
wasted by painful disease — he arose at four o'clock 
in the morning, and throwing himself before the 
mercy-seat, for three hours wrestled with God in 
mighty prayer. The writer has heard, from per- 
sons in whose houses he has been temporarily re- 
siding, that in the coldest winter morning they have 
heard him at that hour with suppressed voice plead- 
ing with God, while his groans have revealed the 
intensity of his feelings. Immediately after break- 
fast and family worship, he would again retire with 
his Bible into his study, and spend until near noon 
in the same hallowed employment. Here unques- 
tionably was the great secret of his power in public 
prayer and in preaching — the Lord, who seeth in 
secret, rewarding him openly. Every sermon was 
thus sanctified by prayer. On one occasion, when 
at a country appointment, the time for commencing 
the service had elapsed, and Mr. Smith did not 
make his appearance. He had left the house where 
he was a guest about half an hour before, after 
being some time in his closet. At length he was 
found in an adjoining barn, wrestling in prayer for a 
blessing upon the approaching service ; having re- 
* Published by Lane & Scott, 200 Mulberry-street, New- York. 



122 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

tired thither, that unobserved he might pour out his 
full soul before his heavenly Father. He arose, 
briefly expressed his regTet at not having observed 
the lapse of time, and on the way to the chapel re- 
lapsed into silent prayer. 

"During the sermon that evening the fervent prayer 
of the righteous man proved effectual. The Spirit 
of God descended upon the congregation ; the deep 
attentive silence observed at the commencement of 
the discourse was soon interrupted by sobs and 
moans, and these ere long were followed by loud 
and piercing cries for mercy, as one after another 
the hearers were pricked to the heart, and the 
strongholds of Satan were beaten down, until, so 
universal was the cry of the broken-hearted, that 
Mr. Smith found it necessary to desist from preach- 
ing, and descend into the altar. As he had conti- 
nued his discourse for some time after its remark- 
able effects first showed themselves, there was con- 
siderable confusion for want of a leading and control- 
ling spirit, and the disorder was rapidly increasing ; 
but when he descended from the pulpit, and took 
charge of the meeting, his admirable plans and great 
influence, aided by a voice almost equal to the roar 
of thunder, soon wrought a change, and in perfect 
order, though not in silence, the meeting was conti- 
nued until midnight. Whatever apparent confusion 
there might be in these meetings, they were, ac- 
tually, conducted systematically. Mr. Smith had 
his method amid all the surrounding excitement, and 
he never delegated the control to another, but was 



EMINENT PIETY. 123 

the last to retire from the scene of the Redeemer's 
triumphs. 

An anecdote was related in the hearing of the 
writer by Rev. James Methley, and is also men- 
tioned by Mr. Treffry, which annihilated, in the 
minds of all who heard it, whatever feelings were 
entertained adverse to the course adopted by this 
holy man. While he was stationed in the Windsor 
circuit, he was attending an anniversary at Canter- 
bury, where his friend and school-fellow, Mr. Meth- 
ley, was stationed. At this time Mr. Smith's la- 
bours were almost superhuman, and his constitution 
was manifestly giving way under them. It was re- 
solved, by his brethren, that he should be affection- 
ately remonstrated with, and Mr. Methley was 
deputed to introduce the subject. At the supper- 
table a favourable opportunity presented itself, and 
Mr. Methley opened the matter to him. The friend- 
ship between them was strong and ardent ; they 
were both men of noble, generous natures. Mr. 
Smith laid down his knife and fork, and listened to 
his friend with affectionate respect ; then, bursting 
into tears, he replied, ' I know it all. I ought to 
put a restraint upon myself. But what can I do ? 
God has given me such a view of the perishing con- 
dition of sinners, that I can only find relief in the 
way I do — in entreating them to come to Christ, 
and wrestling with God to save them.' And then, 
his feelings overcoming him, he paused a few mo- 
ments, and added, ' Look around you, my dear 
friend and brother ; do you not see sinners perishing 



124 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

on every hand, and must they not be saved ? O do 
not seek to turn me from my purpose ; for while I 
thus see and feel, I am i act as I do.' 

All were silenced, and all were melted into 
— Mr. Methley being so overcome that he was com- 
pelled abruptly to leave the room. ' Never,' said 
Mr. II., his eyes rilling with tears at the recollec- 
tion, ' never shall I forget that evening. Often was 
I applied to afterward, as known to be his friend, to 
use my influence to arrest his self-sacrifice ; but I 
could not do it; my mouth was closed ; I dared not 
say a word ; the expression of his countenance that 
evening remains with me to this day.' " 

REV. WILLIAM BRAMWELL. 
The Rev. William Bramwell, well known as having 
been the honoured instrument, in the hands of the 
Spirit, of many conversions among the Wesleyans, 
was eminently a man of prayer. " Perhaps," ob- 
serves Mr. William Dawson, in his funeral sermon, 
" it will not be asserting too much, if it be said, that, 
upon an average, he employed six hours out of the 
twenty-four in prayer and other exercises of the 
closet." " This is nothing like an exaggeration," 
add the members of his family, in their memoir. 
M On the contrary, it is probably much within the 
real truth, though it still embraces only a part of his 
devotional duties. There were, in addition, the 
supplications of the pulpit, in the praver-meetings, in 
his pastoral visits ; and besides this," coutini 
Dawson, ik through the whole of the day 



EMINENT PIETY. 125 

darting the feelings of his heart to God by perpe- 
tual ejaculations, and when in company with his 
friends, he was continually leading them into the 
holiest by the blood of Jesus, and offering the sacri- 
fices of prayer and praise." " Here, then," add his 
biographers, " was an amount of devotion which 
recalls the feats of some of the puritan or covenant- 
ing divines. Take the case of Mr. Welsh, of Ayr, 
the son-in-law of John Knox. Out of every twenty- 
four hours eight were consumed in private prayer. 
Like his Wesleyan brother, he would wake in the 
middle of the night, throw a plaid around him, and 
renew his supplications, without regard to the lapse 
of time." 

ARCHBISHOP USHER. 
Archbishop Usher and Dr. Preston, two eminently 
pious and learned men, were very intimate, and 
often met to converse on learning and general sub- 
jects ; when it was, very common with the good 
archbishop to say, " Come, doctor, let us say some- 
thing about Christ before we part." 

REV. MR. ROGERS. 
Mr. Rogers, one of the Puritans, was remarkable 
for seriousness and gravity in every society to which 
he was introduced. A gentleman in company with 
him and some other persons once said to him, " Mr. 
Rogers, I like you and your company very well, 
only you are too precise." " O, sir," replied the 
good man, " I serve a precise God." Important as 



126 .MIN IER. 

this idea is, we should y- \ that gravity 

ought to be enlivened by huh 
would recommend religion to others. 

REV. MK. SHEPHERD. 

The celebrated Mr. Shepherd, when on his death- 
bed, said to some young miniatl ta who had come to 
see him, k * Your work is great, and calls for great 
seriousness." With respect to himself, he told 
these three things : First, That the studying of hifl 
sermons very frequently cost him tears. Secondly, 
Before he preached any sermon to others, he got 
good by it himself. And, Thirdly, That he always 
went to the pulpit as if he were immediately after 
to render an account to his Master. 

REV. THOMAS HOOKER, 
Of Mr. Thomas Hooker, of Hartford, Conn., his 
biographer says, " He was a man of prayer ;" which, 
indeed, was a ready way to become a man < A 
He would say, " that prayer was the principal part 
of a minister's work: it was; by this that be 
carry on the rest." Accordingly, he devoted one 
day in a month to prayer, with fasting, before the 
Lord, besides the public fasts, which often occurred. 
He would say, " that such extraordinary favours as 
the life of religion and the power of godliness, must 
erved by the frequent use of such extraordi- 
nary means aj pray, r, with fasting ; and that if pro- 
fessors grew negligent of these means, iniquity 
would abound, and the love of many wax cold." 



HUMILITY. 127 

When he lay dying, a friend standing by his bed 
said, " You are going to receive the reward of all 
your labours." He replied, " Brother, I am going 
to receive mercy." 

REV. MR. BLACKERBY. 
Op this good man, it is said, " He was much in 
prayer ; much in closet prayer ; much in walking 
prayer ; much in conjugal prayer, for he prayed 
daily with his wife alone ; much in family prayer, 
daily with his own family, and almost daily with 
some other family. He used to ride about from 
family to family, and only alight and pray with 
them, and give them some heavenly exhortations, 
and then away to some other family. Also, he was 
very much in fasting and prayer. 



HUMILITY. 

REV. MR. DURHAM. 
When this good man was one day walking to the 
place of worship in which he was to preach, in 
company with a much admired young minister, who 
was to officiate in an adjoining church, multitudes 
were thronging into one, and only a few into the 
other. " Brother," said he to his young friend, 
" you will have a crowded church to-day." " Truly," 
said the other, " they are greatly to blame who leave 
you and come to me." " Not so, dear brother," re- 



M I N II 

plied Mr. Durham; " for a min 
such honour and success in lu- 
be given him 

ched, and that his kingdom and inter* - 
ground, the Lunation in people's 

it I am content to be any- 
i that Christ may bi all in all." 

IHOF HUTTO 

Whii.k Dr. Hutton, bishop of Durham, Wt 
travelling between WensJeydale and Ingleton. he 
suddenly dismounted, delivered his horse to the care 
of one of his servants, and retired to a particular 
spot, at some distance from the highway, where he 
knelt down, and continued for some time in prayer. 
On his return, one of his attendants took the liberty 
of inquiring his reason for this singular act ; when 
the bishop informed him, that when he was a poor 
boy he travelled over that cold and bleak mountain 
without shoes or stockings, and that he rem« : 
dieturbing a cow on the identical spot where he 
prayed, that he might warm his feet and legs on the 
plats where she had lain. Hia feelings of gratitude 
would not allow him to pass the place without pre- 
senting his thanksgivings to God for the favours he 
ha<i since shown him. 

DR COTTON MATHER 
" Thk appreheauon of cursed pride (the sin of young 
ministers) working in my heart," says Dr. Cotton 
Mather, "filled me with an inexpressibk bttl 



HUMILITY. 129 

and confusion before the Lord. In my youth, when 
some others of my age were playing in the streets, 
I was preaching to large assemblies, and I was ho- 
noured with great respect among the people of God. 
I feared (and thanks be to God that he made me 
fear) lest Satan was hereby preparing a snare and a 
pit for such a novice. I therefore resolved that I 
would set apart a day to humble myself before God, 
for the pride of my own heart, and to supplicate his 
grace to deliver me from that sin, and from the 
dreadful wrath it would expose me to." 

REV. J. W. FLETCHER. 
The commencement of the friendship which sub- 
sisted between the Rev. Messrs. Berridge and 
Fletcher for many years, is worthy of being placed 
on record. Soon after Mr. Fletcher had received 
ordination, on a journey to London, he made it in 
his way to call on Mr. Berridge, introducing him- 
self as a new convert, who had taken the liberty of 
calling upon him for the benefit of his instruction 
and advice. From his accent and manners, Mr. 
Berridge perceived that he was a foreigner, and 
asked what countryman he was. " A Swiss, from 
the canton of Berne," was the reply. " From Berne ! 
Then, probably, you can give me some account of a 
young countryman of yours ; one John Fletcher, who 
has lately preached a few times for the Wesley s, 
and of whose talents, learning, and piety, they both 
speak in terms of high eulogy. Do you know him ?" 
" Yes, sir, I know him intimately ; and did those 



130 MINISTER! TER. 

gentlemen know him as well, they would not speak 
of him in such terms, f>r vrhiefc obliged 

to them for their partial friendship, than to his own 

"in speaking so coldly of a countryman, in whose 
Ihey :iro so warm.*' " I 

mi as I do — 1 
am Job; •• [f you ■ 

you must do mc the favour to 
take my pulpit to-morrow ; and when • 
acquainted, without implicitly recehring 
ment, or that of your friends, I shall be able to judge 
for myself." Thus commenced an intimacy 
even controversy could not destroy. 

When one or another mentioned anything unkind 
which had been said of him or his writings, if the 
person who had said it was named, he wo 
the speaker immediately. and oiler up the most fer- 
vent prayer for the person of whom he spoke. In- 
deed, he did not willingly suffer any one to say any- 
tbing against his opponents. And he made all the 
allowance for them which, on a change of circum- 
stances, he would have wished them to make for him. 

REV. ROBERT HALL. 
It is usually seen that true greatness is as- 
with humility and lowliness of mind. This was ex- 
emplified by the late Rer. Robert Hall. When ho 
• lore was an elderly person, long 
i member of hj§ ohorch, but differing from him in 
'••il view-, win. had former!? been at- 



HUMILITY. 131 

tached to the ministry of his excellent father, at 
Arnsby, but could not so well enjoy the son's preach- 
ing. Meeting this person, he said, " We should be 
glad to see you at our place, if you could attend 
only occasionally ; for you were a friend of my fa- 
ther's, and have long been in fellowship with us, and 
it would pain me very much to have the connexion 
dissolved." "Ah !" was the reply, "I should be 
glad to attend, if you could but preach like your 
blessed father." " Well, I preach as w r ell as I can, 
but you can hardly expect me to preach so well as 
my father ; for he, you know, was an eminent man." 
This mild and gentle reply softened the objector, and 
retained in communion one whom he respected for 
his father's sake, and who was endeared to him by 
every fresh recollection. 

REV. JAMES HERVEY. 
Mr. Hervey, being in company with a person who 
was paying him some compliments on account of his 
writings, replied, laying his hand on his breast, " O, 
sir, you would riot strike the sparks of applause, if 
you knew how much tinder I have within." 



MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 



SELF-DENLAX. 



i ALL. 
Tau heroic missionary at Bombay had acquired so 

that the 
Engtisl ffered him I 

of $13,000, if he would relinquish his calln 
lid them in writing and making contracts with the 
natives. On his peremptory refusal, they offered 
him $50 per week if he would afford oc 

* two hours in a day. This offer he also 
!, saying no money could tempt him to relin- 
quish the work he was sent to perform. He lived 
and died a faithful missionary of the cross. 

DR. W.\LLI>. 
In the reign of James II., Dr. Wallis was then dean 
of Waterford, in Ireland, and, during ti 
that unhappy country at that period, suffered 
in his private fortune, from his strong attachment to 
the Protestant faith. Aft< 
the Protestant religion firmly established hy I 

d of King William, WaHii 
tin' court of London, as ;i gentleman who hi 
merited the royal patronage. The kin;: had 

heard the Morv of his sufferings : and tl 

mediately turning to the dean, desired him to i 
any ohorch preferment then vacant. Wallii 

all the modesty incident to men vl' real worth, alter 



SELF-DENIAL. 133 

a due acknowledgment of the royal favour, requested 
the deanery of Derry. " How," replied the king, 
in a transport of surprise, " ask the deanery, when 
you must know the bishopric of that very place is 
also vacant I" " True, my liege," replied Wallis, 
" I do know it ; but could not in honesty demand so 
great a benefice, conscious there are many other 
gentlemen who have suffered more than myself, and 
deserved better at your majesty's hands ; I therefore 
presume to repeat my former request." It is need- 
less to add, his request was granted. They parted ; 
the dean highly satisfied with his visit, and the king 
astonished at the noble instance of disinterestedness 
of which he had just been a witness. 

KEY. JOSEPH HUGHES. 
When the late Rev. Joseph Hughes, A. M., was 
once travelling in the service of the Bible Society, 
he found by his side, upon the coach, a grave and 
respectable looking person. In conversing on topics 
of general attention, they soon came to the Bible 
Society. His companion launched forth, in vitupe- 
rative terms, on its Utopian character, and espe- 
cially on its lavish expenditure ; noticing, in a 
marked way, the needless and extravagant travel- 
ling expenses of' its vaunted secretaries, as well as 
their enormous salaries. No one, from Mr. Hughes' 
countenance and manner, could have conjectured 
that he was a party concerned. " But what," he 
mildly expostulated, "would be your conclusion, 
were you informed that their services were gratuit- 



ous ; and tli . g much 

as possible the expense ol 

D very inclement seasons, fix on the 01 

doing before 

N the fact 

ami lha tone in which it was announced, with the 

friendly conversation that ensued, converted an 

enemy into a friend ? 

REV. JOH 

lays of the commonwealth, the Rev. 
John Hour, one of Cromwell's chaplains, \\ 
• juently applied to by men of all parties for protec- 
tion, nor did he refuse his influence to any on ac- 
count of difference in religious opinions. < I 

iteetor .-aid to him, " Mr. Howe, you have 
asked favours for c\ • 

when doea your turn oom '" He n | li 
turn, my Lord Protector, is always come when I 
can serve another." 

REV. GEORGE WHITKrir.LD. 

It is difficult, in such a world as this, so to live as 
4" shall not " Mr. 

WniteneM has been ohixged with mercenary mo- 
tives: his whole life showed tb 
ness of Midi a charge. During his stay i: 
land, in L750, a young lady, Miss Hunter, who pos- 
• .!'!>' fortune, made a full odor t«> 
him of her < tate, both nonej and lindf. njno 



SELF-DENIAL. 135 

to several thousand pounds, which he generously- 
refused : and, upon his declining it for himself, she 
offered it to him for the benefit of his orphan-house. 
This also he absolutely refused. This incident is 
given on the authority of his original biographer, 
Dr. Gillies, who received it from unquestionable 
testimony. 

REV. J. W. FLETCHER. 

During the struggle between the colonies and the 
mother country, Mr. Fletcher deemed it his duty to 
write upon the subject. Believing the colonies in 
the wrong, a sentiment in which we of course could 
not coincide, he wrote vigorously in favour of the 
king and parliament. Lord North, highly gratified 
with his pamphlet, sent to know what service would 
be acceptable to him. Mr. Fletcher returned for 
answer, that he wanted but one thing, and that it 
was out of his lordship's power to give — he wanted 
more grace. 

WESLEY AND NELSON IN CORNWALL. 

These indefatigable missionaries rode from common 
to common, in Cornwall, preaching to a people who 
heard willingly, but seldom or never proffered them 
the slightest act of hospitality. Returning one day in 
autumn from one of these hungry excursions, Wes- 
ley stopped his horse at some brambles to pick the 
fruit. "Brother Nelson," said he, "we ought to 
be thankful that there are plenty of blackberries, for 



136 min; 

this is the bast country I ever saw for getting a sto- 
ver I saw for getting food. 
Do the 

I 

lodging was little better than tin VII that 

Mr. Week M tho 

;' ' 

had Borkitt' 

in in* - . After being here near ks, ono 

morning, about three o'clock, Mr. Wesley turned 
:«1 finding D flapped me on the 

side, saying, 'Brc' let us be of good 

cheer, I have one whole side yet ; for the skin is 
off but on one sid- 

MAKT1N LUTH 

i was a leading feature in the 
character of Luth- r | all tnlfinh conside- 

rations, be left the honours and i 
world to those who delighted inthem. The follow- 
iel from a will hi i irs be- 

wealth, to attain whirl) thousands sarrihV' 
enjoyment in this Hi v hope of ha] 

in the next The reformer i 

• thanks thai thou hast willed me to be poor 

upon earth, and :i beggar. I h 

land, in kind, which I 

I ad rhil- 

dren; I commend tin in t<> thei : nourish them, teach 



SELF-DENIAL. 137 

them, preserve them, as thou hast hitherto preserved 
me, Father of the fatherless, Judge of the wi- 
dow !" The poverty of this great man did not arise 
from wanting the means of acquiring riches ; for few 
men have had it in their power more easily to ob- 
tain them. The Elector of Saxony offered him the 
produce of a mine at Sneberg ; but he nobly refused 
it, " Lest," said he, " I should tempt the devil, who 
is lord of these subterraneous treasures, to tempt 
me." The enemies of Luther were no strangers to 
his contempt for gold. When one of the popes 
asked a certain cardinal, why they did not stop that 
man's mouth with silver and gold, his eminence re- 
plied, " That German beast regards not money !" 
It may easily be supposed, that the liberality of such 
a man would often exceed his means. A poor stu- 
dent once telling him of his poverty, he desired his 
wife to give him a sum of money ; and when she in- 
formed him they had none left, he immediately seized 
a cup of some value, which accidentally stood within 
his reach, and giving it to the poor man, bade him 
go and sell it, and keep the money to supply his 
wants. In one of his epistles Luther says, " I have 
received one hundred guilders from Taubereim ; and 
Schartts has given me fifty : so that I begin to fear, 
lest God should reward me in this life. But I de- 
clare I will not be satisfied with it. What have I 
to do with so much money ? I gave half of it to P. 
Priorus, and made the man glad." 



138 MINISTER!" IE*. 

The very ingenious and amul> 

D 

.-field (then lord-lieutenant) a bi- 
ial than that he poeaessed, 
. 

I 
nexions, and 
tear myself from thoM friends whose kindnt 

in this instance like the celebrated Plulare: 

n by he resided in his i, 
obscure and BO little, " I stay," said 
should 



BENEVOLENCE. 

JOHB ELIOT. 

the In- 
. . while minis try, the 

parish treasurer, hsring paid him his salan 

into a handkerchief, :md tied K 

I Ins own be 
■! upon ;i poor family, and told 
had broug h t them son 
lu untie the knots . bui finding n a m 



BENEVOLENCE. 139 

great difficulty, gave the handkerchief to the mis- 
tress of the house, saying, " Here, my dear, take it ; 
I believe the Lord designs it all for you." 

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 
No writer of modern times appears to have been 
more deeply penetrated with the declaration of our 
Lord, " How hardly shall they that have riches en- 
ter into the kingdom of God." His three maxims 
on this subject were, " Get all you can, Save all 
you can, Give all you can." "I defy," says he, 
" all the men on earth, yea, all the angels in hea- 
ven, to find any other way of extracting the poison 
from riches. And I call God to record upon my 
soul, that I advise no more than I practise. I do, 
blessed be God, gain, and save, and give, all I can. 
This was the practice of all the young men at 
Oxford who were called Methodists. For example, 
one of them [himself] had thirty pounds a year ; he 
lived on twenty-eight, and gave away forty shillings. 
The next year he receiving sixty pounds, he still 
lived on twenty-eight, and gave away two and thirty. 
The third year he received ninety pounds, and gave 
away sixty-two. The fourth year he received a 
hundred and twenty pounds ; still he lived as before 
on twenty-eight, and gave to the poor ninety-two." 
It is said, by his biographers, that during the course 
of his life he gave to the various objects of benevo- 
lence not less than thirty thousand pounds, or one 
hundred and thirty-three thousand two hundred dol- 
lars. All the profits of his literary labours, (and he 



no mi.n 



was his own publisher,) and all that he i 
other so ur ce s , except enough to 
wants, was given am he did himself, si- 

lowing for the difference 
had no family, he wished his brethren to io 

generally grow worldly, proud, and covetou- 

till victim* to the sedi;. ptMtfB 

have thrown around them -i^ly, we hear 

!ly exclaiming, just before his depar- 

lleicare of hoarding. After having served 
you between I i :th dim eyes, 

shaking hands, and t.>it.> r . - advice 

I sink into Ihe da for yoa 

U»at are rich in this world." 

: illowing in* t t'ur- 

nishes a fine illustration of the benevolent disposition 
o!' tins ^r«;it man : — 

44 Mr. Dudley was one evening taking tea with that 
eminent artist, Mr. Culy,when he asked him whether 
he had seen his gallery ol Ir. I), answer- 

i to be 
gratified with I sight of it, Mr. Culy eonducted him 
thither, and Brief admirim: the busts of the several 

• it of the day, he eame to SfSj wlueh parti- 
cularly attracted his notici (bend it 

I in the 
i ime ii. 

snooted \uih it, which, as I k 



BENEVOLENCE. 141 

fond of anecdote, I will relate to you precisely in 
the same manner and words that I did to him.' On 
returning to the parlour, Mr. C. commenced ac- 
cordingly : — ' I am a very old man ; you must ex- 
cuse my little failings ; and, as I before observed, 
hear it in the very words I repeated it to his lord- 
ship. My Lord, said I, perhaps you have heard of 
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodists 1 O, 
yes, he replied ; he, — that race of fanatics ! Well, 
my lord, Mr. Wesley had often been urged to have 
his picture taken, but he always refused, — alleging 
as a reason that he thought it nothing but vanity ; 
indeed, so frequently had he been pressed on this 
point, that his friends were reluctantly compelled 
to give up the idea. One day he called on me on 
the business of our Church. I began the old sub- 
ject of entreating him to allow me to take off his 
likeness. Well, said I, knowing you value money 
for the means of doing good, if you will grant my 
request, I will engage to give you ten guineas for 
the first ten minutes that you sit, and for every mi- 
nute that exceeds that time you shall receive a gui- 
nea. ' What,' said Mr. Wesley, ' do I understand 
you aright, that you will give me ten guineas for 
having my picture taken 1 Well, I agree to it.' 
He then stripped off his coat, and lay on the sofa, 
and in eight minutes I had the most perfect bust I 
had ever taken. He then washed his face, and I 
counted to him ten guineas into his hand. ' Well,' 
said he, turning to his companion, ' I never till now 
earned money so speedily — but what shall we do 



MINI 

with i' ,.. a good mornimj, 

woman 'ii three cli. 

eaaae of her distress, .Mr. i 

re drag- 

c fleets, 

•Wen I ,t by eighteen 

shilling, which the creditor* declared should be 

led on. followed by the hlessings of t 
haasjy Bother. Oo Mr. v. 

Barton, In- friend, where their charity was most 
needed, be replied he km 

1 Propter. They accordn 

the turnkey to point «»ui the moat mise- 

. 

The lir>t ward th< . 

i who was gi 

On semf <;■ 
informed tin in thai 

enpported by the i of compassionate 

without any t 
and that he was confil 
half a guinea. On bearing this, Mr. Wesley gam 

utmost 
gratitude, end be bad the plea ng him 



BENEVOLENCE. 143 

liberated with half a guinea in his pocket. The 
poor man, on leaving his place of confinement, said, 
' Gentlemen, as you come here in search of poverty, 
pray go up stairs, if it be not too late.' They in- 
stantly proceeded thither, and beheld a sight which 
called forth all their compassion. On a low stool, 
with his back towards them, sat a man, or rather a 
skeleton, for he was literally nothing but skin and 
bone ; his hand supported his head, and his eyes 
seemed to be riveted to the opposite corner of the 
chamber, where lay, stretched out on a pallet of 
straw, a young woman in the last stage of a con- 
sumption, apparently lifeless, with an infant by her 
side, which was quite dead. Mr. Wesley immedi- 
ately sent for medical assistance, but it was too late 
for the unfortunate female, who expired a few hours 
afterwards from starvation, as the doctor declared. 
You may imagine, my lord, that the remaining eight 
guineas would not go far in aiding such distress as 
this. No expense was spared for the relief of the 
now only surviving sufferer. But so extreme was 
the weakness to which he was reduced, that six 
weeks elapsed before he could speak sufficiently to 
relate his own history. It appeared he had been a 
reputable merchant, and had married a beautiful 
young lady, eminently accomplished, whom he al- 
most idolized. They lived happily together for 
some time, until, by failure of a speculation in which 
his whole property was embarked, he was com- 
pletely ruined. No sooner did he become ac- 
quainted with his misfortune than he called all his 



lit M1M MARACTER. 

creditors together, and laid before them toe atatc of 
bis at! i hem his books, -• 

world to i :.:: tlit.'sumwMjL'-. 

he obet ired he should be sent to jail. 

It was . 

forlorn usidor his great respecta- 

bility — a as a stranger to his breast, and in 

he was hu mod away 
As she 
was very accompli! otioued to ma 

mil ber husband for som j by the 

canls. Ami thus they managed to ]>ut a little aside 

lor th*' tunc i lomeat, But so long an 

thai she was com- 
d from exert. 
ind their scanty livings were ■ 

no 1 1 her situ- 
ation then required. They were drii 

their clothes, and th 

• last reduc 
W infaii! h ■ want, and 

the hafiiees mother was about to follow it 
when Mr. Wesley and his friend not 

M so reduced 

Jioui the same cause, that without the 

fallen • sacrifice ; and as Mr. Wesley, 

who sras not fur .! | uM J ac- 

quainted himself with tin 



BENEVOLENCE. 145 

he went to the creditors, and informed them of it. 
They were beyond measure astonished to learn 
what he had to name to them ; for so long a time 
had elapsed without hearing anything of the mer- 
chant or his family, some supposed him to be dead, 
and others that he had quitted the country. Among 
the rest, he called on the lawyer, and painted to him, 
in the most glowing colours, the wretchedness he 
had witnessed, and which he (the lawyer) had been 
instrumental in causing ; but even this could not 
move him to compassion. He declared the mer- 
chant should not leave the prison without paying him 
every farthing ! Mr. Wesley repeated his visit to 
the other creditors, who, considering the case of the 
sufferer, agreed to raise a sum and release him. 
Some gave jCIOO, others £200, and another 
£300. The affairs of the merchant took a differ- 
ent turn : God seemed to prosper him, and in the 
second year he called his creditors together, thanked 
them for their kindness, and paid the sum so gene- 
rously obtained. Success continuing to attend him, 
he was enabled to pay all his debts, and afterwards 
realized considerable property. His afflictions made 
such a deep impression upon his mind, that he deter- 
mined to remove the possibility of others suffering 
from the same cause, and for this purpose advanced 
a considerable sum as a foundation fund for the re- 
lief of small debtors. And the very first person who 
partook of the same was the inexorable lawyer V 

" This remarkable fact so entirely convinced Lord 
Shelbourne of the mistaken opinion he had formed 
10 



MIS: TER. 

■ 
x-autiful 
reside: 

''IN. 
, .^ an ill ust nit ion of the be- 

than ordinary bad fa ><1 foond 

that on Iropped 

.. huh they were endeavouring to rai 
. for the horse was 

.! with the misfortu 
I loss it would be 
Ipin bade him not i • I'll let 

thai horse of 

Mich a hrasl as that." 

Gilpin, "take him, take hun, demand 

Mt-y tin 11 tboa shall pa] i 

It is said of the saintly < I 

«>!d English Church poet, that once in a wall 

lishurv. t" join s musical party, he saw a p<> 

that was !' 
both in distress, 

help, which Mr. II. 

Donica] . man to unload, and 



BENEVOLENCE. 147 

after to load his horse. The poor man blessed him 
for it, and he blessed the poor man, and was so like 
the good Samaritan, that he gave him money to re- 
fresh both himself and his horse. Thus he left the 
poor man ; and at his coming to his musical friends 
at Salisbury, they began to wonder that Mr. George 
Herbert, who used to be so trim and clean, came 
into that company so soiled and discomposed. But 
he told them the occasion ; and when one of the com- 
pany told him "he had disparaged himself by so dirty 
an employment," his answer was, " that the thought 
of what he had done would prove music to him at 
midnight, and that the omission of it would have 
upbraided and made discord in his conscience when- 
soever he should pass by that place ; for if I be 
bound to pray for all that be in distress, I am sure 
that I am bound, so far as it is in my power, to prac- 
tise what I pray for ; and let me tell you, I would 
not willingly pass one day of my life without com- 
forting a sad soul, or showing mercy ; and I bless God 
for this occasion." O, how many might have the 
anxious thoughts which infest often their midnight 
hours changed into sweet music, if they would only 
be more frequently seen, with full hands and friendly 
words, in the abodes of poverty and suffering ! — 
These are the places in which to attune one's con- 
science to midnight harmonies ! 

BISHOP OF ST. ASAPH. 
A violent Welsh squire, having taken offence at a 
poor curate who employed his leisure hours in 



mending clocks and watch 

.plaint agau 

■ 

■ 

ith all humility, anawere- 

won't do will 

your pitiful trade, I promise 
and irai 

make out :* 
curate, vod iitty 

n in in ihr '. 

lend, had made it bia custom for manj 
overplus of the pr< 

• i 

bis own hou 

for the 
buildin 

'her mean* th.ui hy 
breaking upon the Utth 



BENEVOLENCE. 149 

much as would raise the thirty pounds for his sub- 
scription to the chapel. The expedient, though 
painful to him, was unavoidable. 

Having procured the money, he left home to be the 
bearer of his benefaction. In his journey he over- 
took a young lady riding on horseback, whom he 
thus accosted : " Well overtaken, fair lady, will you 
accept of an old clergyman as your companion over 
the down 1 I am too old, indeed, to promise you 
much protection, but I trust God will protect us 
both." There was a certain something in the man- 
ner with which Mr. T. said this, that was very at- 
tractive, so that the young lady felt a strong prepos- 
session in his favour, before he had half finished 
what he said. She expressed herself much satisfied 
with his company ; and, by inquiring, found they were 
both going to the same town. In the course of 
conversation, he told her his name, and the name 
of his church ; what a happy village of poor people 
his was, and how dear they were to him. When 
they arrived at the town, and were about to part, 
Mr. T. informed the lady of the name of the friend 
to whose house he was going, expressing a wish 
that she would call upon him before he left the 
place. Tho young lady, the same evening, men- 
tioned to her friends, to whom she was on a visit, 
the name of the clergyman, and the many precious 
subjects of conversation with which he had enter- 
tained her. " Thomson !" cried the lady, " I wish 
I knew it w r as a Mr. Thomson we have been so 
many years inquiring after in vain. I have thirty 



MIV TBR. 

pounds tied up in a bag by my late husband, due to 
a person of that name, who desired to lea\ • 

Hut I suppose he is dead : and his exe- 
at, knows n Mr. 
ben it soon appeared that 
v had been so 
long due wa> m ho had been dead 
Mid to whose effects be was the 
the bag being 
put im<> 

mo, and \\. a, exclaimed, 

" Bles.^ .r wonderful thus to provide mo- 

money will be 
friend in the 
town to inform lain of what had happened : and as 

tell it in Gain, publish it in Afkelon, that c 

LAYATER. 
[lowing ia an d the priva: 

ol' the lulr R 

zerland, dated Jan. 'J, lTti'J : — 

\u.»kc ;it ad that I am 

mortal: gave thanks t<> i;<>d, and read Um 
sixth, and aerenin ohantaia -hew's 

( What a i'tire mora'. 

My uife a>ked me. dm.: -.hat sentiment 

for the da\ !i:m that ask- 



BENEVOLENCE. 151 

eth thee ; and from him that would borrow, turn 
not thou away." " Pray, how is this to be under- 
stood !" said she. " Literally : we must take the 
words as if we heard Jesus Christ himself pronounce 
them. I am the steward, not the proprietor, of my 
possessions." 

Just as I arose from dinner, a widow desired to 
speak to me. " You will excuse me, dear sir," said 
she, " I must pay my rent, and I am six dollars 
short. I have been ill a whole month, and could 
scarcely keep my poor children from starving. I 
have laid by every penny, but I am six dollars short, 
and must have them to-day or to-morrow ; pray 
hear me, dear sir." Here she presented me a 
book enchased with silver. " My late husband," 
said she, " gave it me when we were betrothed. I 
part with it with reluctance, and know not when I 
can redeem it. O, dear sir, cannot you assist me V* 
" My poor woman, indeed I cannot." So saying, I 
put my hand in my pocket, and touched my mo- 
ney : it was about two dollars and a half. "It 
won't do," said I to myself : " and if it would, I 
shall want it." " Have you no friend," said I, 
" who would give you such a trifle ?" " No, not a 
soul living ; and I do not like to go from house to 
house ; I would rather work whole nights. I have 
been told that you are a good-natured gentleman ; 
and if you cannot assist, you will, I hope, excuse 
me for having given you so much trouble. I will 
try how I can extricate myself ; God has never for- 
saken me ; and I hope he will not begin to turn his 



II IN 



I ww I was aogrr, 

■ 
i 

six ; how, th. nd ! I 

by h< r look*, She then said aloud, 
what my conscic ncc had 

:•> lain that ask< th thee ; and turn m 
irouj linn who would borrow of th 

she, polling oil her ring. The old worn 

i l 

. 
I her t«> wait a little in the paac 

you in 

am Burpriaed that you can 
think 1 >j,.»rt with charity 
said a quarter of an Uoui 

,.1 why :i 
ird in aaaiflling th;.' 

hil \sh.aiuoiu\ \mi had in vour jmrae 1 



BENEVOLENCE. 153 

Do you not know that there are six dollars in your 
bureau, and that it will be quarter-day in ten days V 
I pressed my wife to my bosom, and dropped a tear. 
" You are more righteous than I ! Keep your ring; 
you have made me blush." I then went to the bu- 
reau, and took the six dollars. When I was going 
to open the door to call the widow I was seized with 
horror, because I had said, " I cannot help you." — O 
thou traitorous tongue ! thou deceitful heart ! — 
" There, take the money," said I, "which you want." 
She seemed at first to suppose it was only a small 
contribution, and kissed my hand. But when she 
saw the six dollars, her astonishment was so great 
that for a moment she could not speak. She then 
said, " How shall I thank you 1 I cannot repay 
you ; I have got nothing but this poor book, and it 
is old." " Keep your book and the money," said I, 
" and thank God, and not me. Indeed, I do not 
deserve it, because I have hesitated so long to as- 
sist you. Go, and say not one word more." 

JOHN FOX. 
John Fox, the celebrated author of the " Book of 
Martyrs," was remarkable for his piety. He de- 
voted whole nights to prayer, withdrew as much as 
possible from all worldly pursuits, and was eminently 
skilled in imparting consolation to the afflicted. 
But, among all his excellences, none was more con- 
spicuous than his liberality to the poor. What was 
sometimes offered him by the rich (for he was him- 
self sometimes distressed) he accepted, but imme- 



15 l MINIHTEEIAL CHARA< J 

diately gate it to those who had lets than hhninlT 
80 entirely did he give of his goods to the poor, that 

1- m ran ■■■■• u ..- maintained by ■ 1 ass of lha bra 

nd was shown with a view to his glory. 

recollected a 

poor roan, whom he waa accustomed to relieve, he 

reeneeshnt him well, an-! 

v furget lords and ladies to remember such 

as him. ' 

: DL 

At the last Wcsleyan < uch the Rev. 

Jolm Fletcher attended, when Mr. Wesley was 
about to rend over his on l those of all 

I, that any \>r< 

i>rchensiblc in them, 
to withdraw. He was < :!*'d, and 

odd leave them. "Because," 
•aid he, M it is on p to pei and painful to my feelings 
my brethren canvassed, unless 1 

promised, it he would stay, that I 
be nw I »u these t< 

\\ hen i 

'•<> him. and . .• but one : 

■ Mr. Kletcher : God has given him 
Infant than his humility will sufl \ to sp- 

in confining himself 
bio tight, oomj inder .1 bushel ; whereas, 

m would draw 



BENEVOLENCE. 155 

immense congregations, and would do much more 
good." In answer to this, he stated the tender and 
sacred ties which bound him to his parish ; its nu- 
merous population ; the daily calls for his services ; 
the difficulty of finding a proper substitute ; his in- 
creasing infirmities, which disqualified him for horse 
exercise ; his unwillingness to leave Mrs. Fletcher 
at home ; and the expense of travelling in carriages. 
In reply to this last argument, another preacher 
rose, and observed that the expense of his journeys 
would be cheerfully paid ; and that though he knew, 
and highly approved of, Mr. Fletcher's disinterest- 
edness and delicacy in pecuniary transactions, yet 
he feared that there was a mixture of pride in his 
objection; for that by no importunity could he be 
prevailed upon to accept a present to defray his ex- 
penses on his late visit to Ireland. " A little expla- 
nation," replied Mr. Fletcher, with his characteristic 
meekness, " will set that matter right. When I 
was so kindly invited to visit my friends at Dublin, 
I had every desire to accept their invitation ; but I 
wanted money for the journey, and knew not how 
to obtain it. In this situation I laid the matter be- 
fore the Lord, humbly requesting that, if the journey 
were a providential opening to do good, I might 
have the means of performing it. Shortly after- 
wards I received an unexpected sum of money, and 
took my journey. While in Dublin, I heard our 
friends commiserating the distresses of the poor, 
and lamenting the inadequate means they had to re- 
lieve them. When, therefore, they offered me a 



J5G 



' '■ 



handsome present, * hnt mnM I do ' The r 

r\{.,i,s,.v U f- mv ,„ Mni ,. v had alnady l»een Bu .) . 

m J 8* quila sufficient; I needed 

>ld hart 
n most nei 

than I . 

. friend 
ned with Dr. Hutler, then bishop of 
I>urli;iiu; and though tho «:uest was a man 
Lad the inten 

meat and a podding. 

that a was h&a maimer of tiring, and that, being die- 

-tnonahle expense of time and 

t'Ttainnu-nts, he was determined it 

should ins example, 

tot the result of eoretouaneae ; 

ratify to the poor, thai M I .;h httle more 

ill ui enough. I 



COxVSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 157 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 



PRAYING AND GIVING. 
The venerable father Sewall, of Maine, once 
entered a meeting in behalf of foreign missions, 
just as the collectors of the contributions were re- 
suming their seats. The chairman of the meetfng 
requested him to lead in prayer. The old gentle- 
man stood, hesitatingly, as if he had not heard the 
request. It was repeated in a louder voice ; but 
there was no response. It was observed, however, 
that Mr. S. was fumbling in his pockets, and pre- 
sently he produced a piece of money, which he de- 
posited in the contribution-box. The chairman, 
thinking he had not been understood, said loudly, 
" I didn't ask you to give, father Sewall, I asked 
you to pray." " O, yes," he replied, " I heard you, 
but I can't pray till I've given something." 

THE PRAYING SHEPHERD. 
One of the ejected ministers of Wales went to Eng- 
land, and hired himself as a shepherd to a nobleman 
of that country. One day the nobleman's wife was 
ill, and he sent for the officiating clergyman of the 
parish to come and pray for her. The clergyman, 
being a sportsman, told the messenger that he would 
comply with the request after his return from hunt- 
ing. The nobleman, hearing this, became very un- 



158 MIM IE*. 

easy in trange that a 

professed mii. • rred bunting 

' the shepherd 
could j. ray very well ; that he went Out 

■ he had 
I linn, and hi 

rtl wan mill. id prayed so 

nobleman's heart was mailed. 
■ 

reluctantly c .,*' said 

Forth be a shepherd 

He boil! him a meeting-house, attended 

mi troubled the sportsman. 

MOTHDi 

Mr. E was g. 

river in i Bteamb) 

• go on, 

shore. On the Sabbath h< labours 

were greatl] 

who afterwards became hopefully pious ; and I 

ud. • by thai 

I nd <<! life. 

! good moO| when . as well as at 

home, keep the Sabbath daj holy ; and as tie 
opportunity do good, and they will become em 
■ ! mankind. 
■ a arrived • .! hnn 

safely I nation, and in time to ac- 

oomnliah the i journey, as well .t 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 159 

had not stopped on the Sabbath. Nothing was lost 
to himself, while to others his stopping was the cause 
of infinite gain. 

REV. D. BROWN. 
The late Rev. D. Brown, of Calcutta, on his voy- 
age from England to India, was placed in circum- 
stances which at once illustrated his character, and 
proved the advantages of Christian principle. The 
following relation is in his own language : — 

" After my glass of claret, I declined taking 
more ; when the captain forcibly urged me, and 
would have taken my glass and filled it : but, with a 
determined air, I told him he might attempt as ea- 
sily to shake Gibraltar as to shake me from my 
purpose. It was replied, ' Then you must sing.' I 
told them I considered it as inconsistent with my 
character, and I could not oblige them by a violation 
of my judgment. This was followed by arguments 
on the necessity of being good company, and on the 
innocency of festivity. The captain observed, that 
we ought to accommodate ourselves to the spirit of 
the company we sit down with, and that it was good 
breeding and harmless to do so. I replied, that I 
was a great advocate for liberty ; that I gave large 
scope to others to follow their own judgment, and 
that I valued myself upon this prerogative of man. 
I had opinions that I could not part with, to oblige 
any company whatever ; that a man must be das- 
tardly and unprincipled who would, to please others, 
act contrary to his judgment, and thus give up the 



TEA. 

most pneam ri ;ht of imuun mi • in •• reai ct- 
inj i!;. \tum ••;• ••' t«hk nsgiog, I would not bmi- 

. 

consistent. I add. to good 

I 

i. to DfOOO :i 

present company, 

opinion 

jjive up my opinion ; 

• 

. but that I should • 
what Ifti 
&hort U 

agreeable, 01 

my ju«L 

i rendezvous 

place, to which i 

• ■ i • . ind wliieli one of its 

!l. il " tli«' seat of the scornful.' 1 

amongst oi In- r Bubji and dc- 

■ 

hodui ; but then, what n> a Met! 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 161 

One said his idea of a Methodist was a man who 
preached in a tree. Another said, one who never 
smiles. What could be done with this stranger and 
his new-fangled notions 1 Different expedients were 
suggested. Most of them were for applying to the 
vicar to dismiss him. But the wise man of the 
party reminded them that this would be a very un- 
certain expedient. They might have another who 
was no better. " Your best way," added he, " would 
be to get a new Bible." 

KEY. S. WALKER. 
After the late Rev. Samuel Walker, of Truro, had 
begun to feel the unspeakable importance of the 
truth as it is in Jesus, his preaching became of a 
different character to what it had previously been. 
When he urged the importance of regeneration, and 
devotedness to God, those who were living in a 
sensual and dissipated manner, or who were building 
their hopes of heaven on the morality of their lives, 
were offended. Accordingly, some of the most 
wealthy inhabitants of the town complained of him 
to the rector, and requested his dismission. The 
rector promised compliance with their wishes, and 
waited on Mr. Walker to give him notice to quit 
his curacy. He was received with much politeness 
and respect, and Mr. Walker soon took an opportu- 
nity, from some passing remark, to explain his views 
of the importance of the ministerial office, and the 
manner in which its duties ought to he performed. 
His sentiments and manner were such, that the rec- 
11 



■imtrvRii nrt. 

t«r went away without having accomplished h 
pose. He endearoured a secot Sect the 

was again so awed 

not speak to him on 
the aul pressed by one of 

and dismiss him if you etl 

of a snperior 
Mid am so abashed, that I am uneasy till I 
»-an ret 

'• KKI.I.V 
Tin: K !y, ef ||m town of Ayr. once 

ut sermon from t: 
i who fell an 

est, who saw 

■ 

• nit of the Almighty ! he whose tongue was 

rk of charily, whose bosom was 

aj)jM.int< i .l the Best of broil iiose heart the 

th his 
' !ers to 
eetet kk If he refused, if the 

shepherd himself « i 

the flock followed l " Such • 

her, and he practised u ■ 
I . when the riv 

\ 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. ] 63 

of people were assembled, but none of them at- 
tempted to save the boy ; when Mr. Kelly, who was 
dressed in his canonicals, threw himself from his 
chamber window into the current, and at the hazard 
of his own life saved that of the boy. 

EEV. DR. CHALMERS. 
Dr. Chalmers, on his return from England, a few 
years ago, lodged in the house of a nobleman, not 
far distant from Peebles. The doctor excelled in 
conversation, as well as in the pulpit. He was the 
life and soul of the discourse in the circle of friends 
at the nobleman's fireside. The subject was pau- 
perism — its causes and cure. Among the gentlemen 
present, there was a venerable old highland chief- 
tain, who kept his eyes fastened on Dr. C, and lis- 
tened with intense interest to his communications. 
The conversation was kept up to a late hour. When 
the company broke up, they were shown up stairs 
into their apartments. There was a lobby of consi- 
derable length, and the doors of the bed-chambers 
opened on the right and left. The apartment of 
Dr. C. was directly opposite to that of the old chief- 
tain, who had already retired with his attendant. 
As the doctor was undressing himself he heard an 
unusual noise in the chieftain's room ; the noise was 
succeeded by a heavy groan ! He hastened into 
the apartment, which was in a few minutes filled 
with the company, who all rushed in to the relief of 
the old gentleman. It was a melancholy sight 
which met their eyes. The venerable white-headed 



MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

chief had fallen into the arms of his attendant in ma 
a P°pl< I athed for a few m^^f an d 

h hands 
bending over the decease 
was the very picture of distress. He was the first 

B 

4 seaaoo ; re- 
prove, : ith all long-suffering and 
known that my rener.i 
was within a few minutes of often 
i'"t ha-, that Subject whi.-: 
topic of this evening's conrersaJ 

v to him. I would hare 
• l lint, » bin .;, wm and him 

i d. 1 would 
all the ■ befitting the prepare 

n:tv. You would li;ivr thou-: 

would here prooooaeed it, out of sea.* 

it would qet( peeled 

bin and U . .u." 

Prior to on was 

! ; 

.;.. to work on 

I 
it was common to work oil the Sabbath for i. 

When anvthn 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 165 

work upon the Sabbath for any man in the kingdom, 
except it were to quench fire, or something that re- 
quired immediate help." " Religion," says the fore- 
man, "has made you a rebel against the king." 
" No, sir," he replied, " it has made me a better 
subject than ever I was. The greatest enemies the 
king has are Sabbath-breakers, swearers, drunkards, 
and whoremongers ; for these bring down God's 
judgments upon the king and country." He was 
told he should lose his employment if he would not 
obey his orders ; his answer was, " he would rather 
want bread than wilfully offend God." The fore- 
man swore that he would be as mad as Whitefield 
if he went on. " What hast thou done," said he, 
" that thou needest make so much ado about salva- 
tion 1 I always took thee to be as honest a man as 
I have in the work, and would have trusted thee 
with j£500." " So you might," answered Nelson, 
"and not have lost a penny by me." "I have a 
worse opinion of thee now," said the foreman. 
" Master," rejoined he, " I have the odds of you, 
for I have a worse opinion of myself than you can 
have." The issue, however, was, that the work 
was not pursued on the Sabbath ; and Nelson rose 
in the good opinion of his employer, for having 
shown a sense of his duty as a Christian. 

PREACHING FOR A CROWN. 
The Rev. H. Davies, sometimes called "The 
Welsh Apostle," was walking early one Sabbath 
morning, to a place where he was to preach. He 



ItR. 

waa oterukiu by a clergyman on horseback, who 
com | not g©t abore | 

oea for a discourse. 

•tra: . you are a diagra 

I meek an- 
swer : " Perhaps I shall be held in still greater dia- 

iat I 

am now going nine ■ 1 hare but 

aerenpenee in my pocket to bear my fiTponaoa oat 

I tS ; but 1 look forward lo that crown of glory 

, stow upon 
<akes his appearance before an as- 

• ld." 

WILL 

w »" Mr. k was settled in his 

o°n^ I could not rurniah him 

with | manse, or even with lodgings. In tkOM • 

■ Captain P , in tho neighbourhood, 

tlioi ,, generously look I 

into ^ 

liered, gratuitously. Hut our vmanaoon 

found him unpleasant circumMan 

of profane 
■ ified of his doty, boa 

I it at all hazards. A 

:1m- <-a|»tain,heol>^ v0V 

i aiulv on the present occasion made use of 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 167 

a number of very improper terms." The captain, 
who was rather a choleric man, was instantly in a 
blaze. " Pray, sir, what improper terms have I 
used ?" " Surely, captain, you must know," replied 
the clergyman, with greater coolness ; " and having 
already put me to the pain of hearing them, you can- 
not be in earnest in imposing upon me the additional 
pain of repeating them." " You are right, sir," re- 
sumed the captain, " you are right. Support your 
character, and we will respect you. We have a 
parcel of clergymen around us here, who seem quite 
uneasy till they get us to understand that we may 
use any freedoms we please before them, and we 
despise them." It ought to be known, that the cap- 
tain never afterwards repeated the offence in his 

presence, and always treated Mr. K with 

marked respect, and befriended him in all his inte- 
rests. 

DR. WAUGH. 
Dr. Waugh being in company with a number of 
ministers, the bad conduct of a brother in the minis- 
try became the subject of conversation, and every 
gentleman in the room joined warmly in condemning 
him. Dr. Waugh sat for a long time silent. At 
last he walked up to his companions, and said, " My 
dear friends, surely we are not acting in accordance 
with our profession. The person you speak of is 
one of ourselves, and we ought not to blow the coal. 
But do you know that he is as bad a man as he is 
represented 1 and if he is, will railing against him 



168 

I 
man behind his back ; and 1 don; 
have sufficient courage, it 

sit down an 

. 

oofoea 

.sum. A ati .-i ./.. an-l the eoopaay looked at each 

by this rebuK mj good 

and mild. 

RE\ 
The Rev. Dr. Phi 

vera] anecdotes of 
- parti- 
culars of which we transcribe 

pbefl left L< -IS, for 

I put into his hands anonymously, 
and it was doubtful, from the manner in wh 

'1 as a ^'lt't to himself, or 
rhantahle purposes m Africa. He ITM Um 
OWn phrase, behind-hand, which 
bim ■ source <>f considerable ui 
this doubt on his mind, ho won! 
shilling of it ti> bis ovi n 

the mission. 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 169 

Such was his carefulness of public money, and 
the exactness with which he kept his accounts, that 
Dr. Philip says, " I have heard him several times 
mention, as a matter of surprise, that on returning to 
England after his first visit to Africa, there was one 
shilling and sevenpence halfpenny that he could 
never account for ; and he used to add, with great 
gravity, which it was impossible to listen to without 
a smile, " and I cannot, sir, to this day, account for 
that nineteenpence halfpenny !" 

REV. THOMAS SCOTT. 
The Rev. Thomas Scott, in the early part of his 
life, was exceedingly fond of cards, but was induced 
to leave off the practice in the following manner: 
■ — " Being on a visit to one of my parishioners at 
Ravenstone," he writes, " I walked out after dinner, 
as was my common practice on such occasions, to 
visit some of my poor people ; when one of them 
(the first person, as far as I know, to whom my mi- 
nistry had been decidedly useful) said to me, 'I 
have something which I wish to say to you ; but I 
am afraid you may be offended.' I answered that 
I could not promise, but I hoped I should not. She 
then said, ' You know A — B — ; he has lately ap- 
peared attentive to religion, and has spoken to me 
concerning the sacrament ; but last night, he, with 
C — D — , and others, met to keep Christmas ; and 
they played at cards, drank too much, and in the 
end quarrelled, and raised a sort of riot. And when 
I remonstrated with him on his conduct, as incon- 



MINIflTBBI 

answer «u, • There u no harm i 

pl*y* 1 his smote me to the heart. I 

saw thst if I play soberly 

mi Id be encourage* 1 
example to go fartl would eat no 

.in cause his 

1 be inexcusable in 

way of 

: at the 

hint ttr 

her that she shou!> 
i to repeat tl 

.i*->l the wh< the company, 

ringed inv ii\i <i resolution never to play at 
hi be haras** 

. from mv ow n cxperieaaaV 
je per- 

■ 
harry to state their 

■ I J.-lm How 

.I'd w uh luni noncon* 

Mr. Hour lokJ hiru he could nol 
tune, without 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 171 

to go through the several objections he had to make 
to the terms of conformity. The bishop pressed 
him to name any one that he reckoned to be of 
weight. He instanced the point of re-ordination. 
" Pray, sir," said the bishop to him, ** what hurt is 
there in being twice ordained V " Hurt ! my lord," 
said Mr. Howe, " the thought is shocking ; it hurts my 
understanding; it is an absurdity, for nothing can 
have two beginnings. I am sure I am a minister of 
Christ, and am ready to debate that matter with your 
lordship, if you please ; and I cannot begin again to be 
a minister." The bishop then dropped the matter, 
and told Mr. H. that if he would come in amongst 
them he might have considerable preferment, and 
at length dismissed him in a very friendly manner. 

REV. R. M. M'CHEYNE. 
At an ordination of elders, the late Rev. R. M. 
M'Cheyne, of Dundee, made the following state- 
ment : — " When I first entered upon the work of the 
ministry among you, I was exceedingly ignorant of 
the vast importance of church discipline. I thought 
that my great and almost only work was to pray 
and preach. I saw your souls to be so precious, and 
the time so short, that I devoted all my time, and 
care, and strength, to labour in word and doctrine. 
When cases of discipline were brought before me 
and the elders, I regarded them with something like 
abhorrence. It was a duty I shrank from ; and I 
may truly say it nearly drove me from the work of 
the ministry among you altogether. But it pleased 



IVI MINIS I LKIAL CHARACTER. 

God, who teaches his servants in another way than 
nun teaches, to bless some of the eases of discipline 
to the manifest and undeniable conversion of the 
souls of those trc ; and from that hour a 

new light broke in upon my mind, and I saw that if 
preaching be an ordinate-- v is church 

disciph: ry deeply persuaded tana 

both a r V a are committed to 

us by Christ, the or me, by means 

>le, the 
other the key of di which we open or 

shut the way to th» nances of the faith. 

Both aie • 'hrist's gilt. and neither is to be resigned 
without 



It is ii; ; at a I 

should ever be a prn 

intercourse with others, it ttea what his 

one's mind is. 
formation or exam;-!- nipauy and conduct ; 

he is constantly living under the observation of man- 

. should never 
venturo on dubion >e for a mo- 

rn, nt that what he does in the view nf another can 

«-\t r fur i momoai be ■ matter nf mditrerenc 

il as :i trifle. I will tell you I 

• >me years ago. In 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 173 

I readily agreed, and she was sent to me at the 
coach. I soon found from her conversation that she 
was a Roman Catholic, and also quickly perceived 
that she had been led to entertain a very high opi- 
nion of me. After we had travelled some distance, 
talking occasionally on various subjects, the day- 
light began to sink fastly away, when she took out 
of her reticule a small Catholic book of prayers, and 
commenced seriously her evening devotions. While 
she was reading, such thoughts as these occurred to 
me : — " I believe this lady to be sincere in her reli- 
gious creed, which I think to be a very dangerous 
one ; she appears to be of an ingenuous temper, and 
to feel much personal respect for me ; is there not 
here, then, a good oppo?-tunity, as well as subject, 
to exercise my influence, and to deliver her, if pos- 
sible, from her erroneous creed 1 But," continued 
I in my thoughts, " was she not intrusted to my 
care 1 Would her friends have so intrusted her, 
had they ever suspected that an attempt at prose- 
lytism would be made 1 Would not the attempt be 
a breach of trust, and should I, even were ultimate 
good to accrue to her, be a morally honest man ?" 
I instantly felt that my own honesty must be pre- 
served, though the opportunity of apparent good 

might be apparently lost. In a short time Miss 

closed her book with this observation, " We Catho- 
lics, Dr. Clarke, think it much better to believe too 
much than too little." I replied, " But, madam, in 
our belief we should recollect that we never should 
yield our assent to what is contradictory in itself, or 



ITI ri*. 

to what contradict other ascertained 

was the only observation that I made that looked at 

all tow cessoftaoM 

< •positod her 
safely in th« nds. 

veara ago I never 
heard of her, till we mot in the foNW I 

had been preaching at Chelsea chapel, and 

I lady followed me, 
hands, spake with much eroot; 
1 

. whom y< i I waa 

•I hare 
i much in consequence of the chan. 
I how the alteration in hi r views waa effect- 
ed, an.: ! 
will shortly turn u, -lie heard to 
lie waa about to he intruded, she resolved 

■ 
r ; she was phased with (he conversation and 
friendliness shown i 
observation I had no >he said 

I her, cans* ; 
think lor herseUt and at last led her to 
freedom from h«-r timid 

should in-vi r hate b \amine. had it 

i n h>r the ; ,1 made 

1 thought 
have a lair opportunity i .something of 



CONSISTENCY OF CONDUCT. 175 

heard of them be true. Every word, every motion, 
every look of yours, sir, was watched with the eye 
of a lynx ; I felt you could not be acting a part, for 
you could not suspect that you were so observed ; 
the result of all was, your conduct conciliated es- 
teem, and removed prejudice ; your one observation 
on belief led me to those examinations which the 
Spirit of God has blessed to my conversion : and I 
now stand before you the convert of your three 
days' behaviour between London and Dublin." You 
see from this account how all ministers should ever 
feel themselves to be public men ; how cautious 
should be their conduct, and how guarded their 
conversation. Had I attempted to proselyte this 
lady, all her prejudices would have been up in arms ; 
had my behaviour been unbecomingly light, or cause- 
lessly austere, she would have been either disgust- 
ed or repelled, and her preconceived notions of Pro- 
testants would have been confirmed ; she saw and 
heard what satisfied her : thus, even in social inter- 
course, the public teacher should always be the 
Christian instructor. 



MINIS I TRIAL CHARACTER. 



FOROIVBNB88 OF INJURIES. 



•kr appeared almost alon- 
higher claaaea, aa tr i times, 

I ..t wa» forn iway his lift 

that the 
papers which would have 

•f whom 
lived in the archbishop 1 ! family, aod the Otl 

4>art in 
kOd told them that niiiio porson- 
eonfidence had dii . md even ac- 

villany. 

ODfl of then add.: iitioner 

was wanted, he would perform 
Struck with their ; 

.•it, lamenting tb< of man, and 

thanking God for his preservation, he ; 

and inquired if they knew them. They now 
Ml on their k ted theii erisaee, and m»- 

plored forgiveoeee. Cranmei mildly 
with them <m the evil of their conduct, fargai 
and never ag un alluded t.> th< 

I injuries was so well known that it be- 
bamo i I to m) lord of < 'anterbni j 

turn, and \ Oil m ik.- Imn your h i 



FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES. 177 

The archbishop's first wife, whom he married at 
Cambridge, lived at an inn, and as he often went 
there, the popish party raised a report that he was 
but an hostler, and had never received the advantages 
of a learned education. This story had been empha- 
tically told by a Yorkshire priest, who added, that 
the archbishop had no more learning than a goose. 
Some persons informed Lord Cromwell, the minis- 
ter of state, of this circumstance, who sent for the 
priest, and committed him to prison. When he had 
lain there nine or ten weeks, he sent a friend to en- 
treat Cranmers pardon ; who instantly sent for him, 
and expostulated with him on trifling with his cha- 
racter. He excused himself by pleading his drunk- 
enness at the time, which Cranmer told him only 
increased his sin. The archbishop invited him to ex- 
amine him in his learning, but the priest told him he 
was himself only an English scholar. On further 
conversation, he confessed he was not sufficiently 
acquainted with genealogies to tell the father of 
either David or Solomon, and was dismissed by the 
archbishop mildly telling him to visit ale-houses less, 
and his study more ; and not to complain of the want 
of learning in others, till he possessed more himself. 

EEV. GEORGE WISHART. 
While Wishart, the celebrated reformer, was en- 
gaged in relieving the temporal wants of the inha- 
bitants of Dundee, during the prevalence of the 
plague in that city, and daily preaching to them the 
way of salvation, Cardinal Beton bribed a popish 
12 



178 ARACTr.R. 

I »n one occasion, Wi»hart 
had finished his sermon, the p* 

••as descending from the pulpit. 

. 
him «>t is weapon. 

a, and entrc.i 

■ 
have takm an ui not th«- reform' 

him in bit arm Bti hwu 

hhall hurt me ; tor lit- hath 
much oeaa for 

.Mu. Hkhiunu, one of the puritan ministers, was 
eminent bed tor Christina meekness, and 

to his greatest enemies. l>r. Lm, 
lor of the j»uril 

i journey, unhappily bra 
leg, aii'i d to the inn where Mr. i 

ealled on to praj thai orening in the nuai)] 

hi- pra\ 

1 who betid him 

i respect 
to a man who was bo utterly unworthy of it. he re- 

I 

hath of our | 



MEEKNESS UNDER PROVOCATIONS. 179 

be the disciples of Christ by loving our enemies, 
and praying for our persecutors." On another occa- 
sion, Archbishop Laud having said, " I will pickle 
that Herring of Shrewsbury," the good man meekly 
replied, " If he will abuse his power, let it teach 
Christians the more to use their prayers, that their 
enemies may see they have a God to trust in, when 
trampled upon by ill-disposed men." 



MEEKNESS UNDER PROVOCATIONS. 



THE PATRIARCH OF ALEXANDRIA. 
John, patriarch of Alexandria, had a controversy 
with Nicetas, a chief man of that city, which was to 
be decided in a court of justice. John defended the 
cause of the poor, and Nicetas refused to part with 
his money. A private meeting was held, to see if 
the affair could be adjusted, but in vain ; angry 
words prevailed, and both parties were so obstinate 
that they separated more offended with each other 
than before. When Nicetas was gone, John began 
to reflect on his own pertinacity ; and although his 
cause was good, " yet," said he, " can I think that 
God will be pleased with this anger and stubborn- 
ness 1 The night draweth on, and shall I suffer the 
sun to go down upon my wrath 1 This is impious, 
and opposed to the apostle's advice." He therefore 
sent some respectable friends to Nicetas, and 



180 

■ 

was no M were fiWe«! 

Nftluoag him in the 
most genii.' manner, each. •■ be 

embraced each other aflV 1 settled the 

It is said of Mr. 1» iivioes, 

that a person r ' awa- 

. ujeed a quarrel with hi in, smote 
him in 
| 

taking the least o!i 
■ - 

I 
our sou! good, I leare 

to dash eel all the re.-t.*' Tim hi vs;t> n 
\\ ith good. 

in the 

man, who §at on the oj.j>omi<.> si 

i 

S.'.l hill!. I 

as mafl 



MEEKNESS UNDER PROVOCATIONS. 181 

young gentleman presently renewed his profane con- 
versation, and Mr. D. reproved him as before ; upon 
which, but with increased violence, he threw ano- 
ther glass of beer in his face. Mr. Deering conti- 
nued unmoved, still showing his zeal for the glory 
of God, by bearing the insult with Christian meek- 
ness. This so astonished the young gentleman, that 
he rose from the table, fell on his knees, and asking 
Mr. Deering's pardon, declared that if any of the 
company had offered him similar insults he would 
have stabbed them with his sword. Here was 
practically verified the New Testament maxim, "Be 
not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." 

REV. J. W. FLETCHER. 
It is related by the Rev. Melville Home, that on 
his way to Ireland the Rev. John Fletcher preached 
in a large town, and, towards the conclusion of his 
sermon, stated his sentiments respecting the emi- 
nent degree of holiness to which a Christian might 
attain in this life. All the ministers of the place at- 
tended to hear him, and all but one stayed to shake 
him by the hand after the service. That one was 
the principal clergyman, a polished gentleman, and 
an old acquaintance. In the morning Mr. Fletcher, 
who suspected no offence, said to Mr. Gilbert, " I 
had not the pleasure last night of shaking hands 

with my friend Mr. ; I cannot think of quitting 

the town without seeing him ; as you are acquainted 
with him, perhaps you will walk with me." They 
accordingly called, and were introduced ; but when 



182 trr. 

ha presented hie I I It usual l e sp c ctfta 1 

what I experience. 
Do yoi oent de- 

you spake of last i. ad for discus- 

: i an angry disputant, he answered 

sed Lord ; — why then should we disagree 
our liveries are not turned up exactly alike I" 
Finding till rude and repulsive, he Sud- 

ani, and kissed it, and bowing 
low, said, M God bless you, my hi retired. 

It is creditali ioaa principles of this gen- 

tleman, that Mr. V at kindness waa not 

without ■ from Ireh 

isked hia pardon 
handsomest terms, and treated him with the most 
respectful distinction. 

I'hv atl ichn* ! I ■■• Hci Johl Etta!, usually 

called " the aj>o8tle to the Indians/' to peace and 
union among Christians, was exceedingly great. 
plain that some in 
: r !cult for them, the 
r, com- 
pass th< be meaning of those 
throe little word- 

1 him to I 
papers waa laid be- 



MEEKNESS UNDER PROVOCATIONS. 183 

fore an assembly of ministers, which contained the 
particulars of a contention between parties who he 
thought ought at once to be agreed, he hastily threw 
them into the fire, and said, " Brethren, wonder not 
at what I have done ; I did it on my knees this 
morning before I came among you." 

DR. WALL. 
Dr. Wall, some time bishop of Norwich, was as 
humble and courteous as he was learned and de- 
vout, and had, in a very large degree, the qualifica- 
tions of a good bishop. In reference to injuries he 
received, he used to say, " I would suffer a thousand 
wrongs rather than do one ; I would suffer a hundred 
rather than return one ; and endure many rather than 
complain of one, or obtain my right by contending : 
for I have always observed, that contending with 
one's superiors is foolish ; with one's equals, is du- 
bious ; and with one's inferiors, is mean-spirited and 
sordid. Suits at law may be sometimes necessary, 
but he had need be more than a man who can ma- 
nage them with justice and innocence." 

REV. LEGH RICHMOND. 
The late Rev. Legh Richmond was once convers- 
ing with a brother clergyman, on the case of a poor 
man who had acted inconsistently with his religious 
profession. After some angry and severe remarks 
on the conduct of such persons, the gentleman with 
whom he was discussing the case concluded by say- 
ing, " I have no notion of such pretences ; I will 



184 MINISTERIAL CHARA' I 

h.ivc prthtfffl t : ■ with him." '" Nay. l>ro:h< r, \el 
us bo burnble and moderate. Remember who has 
•aid, ' making a ditl 

ooe hand, and Satan at the other, and the grace of 
u and 






-..m, of Boston, wan 
for bis forbearance and meekness, v* 
contributed to his happiness and usefulness. 
• 
nfortlesa, i re your 

•t i! m:iy be I 

who boasted 

wanted 

sent linn a pound ol 
excited a smile. 

beacon of his great soul on fire 
si the hading of sneb ■ l:t ' Irunk- 

( anions, 
approsehsd bim in the street, and trhisj 

l'hnu art an old fool/ 1 Mr. < 

it'ess I am so ; the Lord make both me and 

Tin: itai.i \n USB 

ihop, who had struggled throu^l. 

llies without rcpii 
posed without i-v.r in u 

. 



CONFIDENCE IN THE HOUR OF TRIAL. 185 

being always so happy, replied, " It consists in a 
single thing, and that is, making a right use of my 
eyes." His friend, in surprise, begged him to ex- 
plain his meaning. " Most willingly," replied the 
bishop. " In whatsoever state I am, I first of all look 
up to heaven, and remember that my great business 
on earth is to get there. I then look down upon the 
earth, and call to mind how small a space I shall 
soon fill in it. I then look abroad on the world, and 
see what multitudes are, in all respects, less happy 
than myself. And thus I learn where true happi- 
ness is placed, where all my cares must end, and 
how little reason I ever have to murmur, or to be 
otherwise than thankful. And to live in this spirit 
is to be always happy." 



CONFIDENCE IN THE HOUR OP TRIAL. 



REV. OLIVER HEYWOOD. 
It is related of Rev. Oliver Heywood, a non-con- 
formist minister, that on a time he was reduced to 
great straits, his little stock of money was quite ex- 
hausted ; the family provisions were entirely con- 
sumed, and Martha, a maid -servant, who had lived 
in his family for several years, and who had often 
assisted them, could now lend no more from the lit- 
tle savings of former years. 

Mr. Heywood trusted that God would still pro- 



W6 Mimi ARACTE1. 

Tide for him, who had nothing but the dirine pro- 
vidence to I r said, 

When crul»« *n<l barrel both »re dry, 

will tru.l in God im 

the children [n^an to be impatient for food, 
Ifc Hej servant, at, : 

a, take a basket, and go call on 

^hop-keeper, and say I de»trc htm to 
ough to 
M6, and such 
other little thi : ; be as 

ii returning : 
i*) be fretfu! fur want of somc- 
.: bat and «•' 
! -j>eed ; in ih. 

ravens when • hat we 

■ 

I i>e loan 

litj and ba*h 
rt failed her. She passed by the door again 
and again, without having courage to go in I 

door, ai 
him, U 

When she, with an anxious heart, had an- 

| 
ituruty of m ■ 

M r mas- 

v I should g 



CONFIDENCE IN THE HOUR OF TRIAL. 187 

to send it. " Martha burst into tears, and for some 
time could not utter a syllable ; the necessities of 
the family, their trust in Providence, the seasona- 
bleness of the supply, and a variety of other ideas 
entering in upon her mind at once, quite overpow- 
ered her. At length she told Mr. N. upon what 
errand she came, but that she had not courage to ask 
him to lend her poor master money. The gentleman 
could not but be affected with the story, and told 
Martha to come to him when the like necessity 
should press upon them at any future time. She 
made haste to procure the necessary provisions, and 
with a heart lightened of its burden, ran home to 
tell the success of her journey. 

Though she had not been long absent, the hungry 
family had often looked wishfully out of the window 
for her arrival. When she knocked at her mas- 
ter's door, which must be locked and barred for fear 
of constables and bailiffs, it was presently opened, 
and the joy to see her was as great as when a fleet 
of ships arrives laden with provisions for the relief 
of a starving town, closely besieged by an enemy. 
The children danced round the maid, eager to look 
into the basket of eatables ; the patient mother wiped 
her eyes ; the father smiled, and said, " The Lord 
hath not forgotten to be gracious ; his word is true 
from the beginning. The young lions do lack and 
suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not 
want any good thing." Martha related all the cir- 
cumstances of her little expedition as soon as tears 
of joy could permit this ; and all partook of the 



188 MINI ARAfTER. 

homely sweeter relish than the fasti- 

wcre expend' fi one repeat. Had you 

been pr. this pious family were eating 

• '. and drinking pure water from 

hhI man thus 

add re* v bom — " Did I not tell 

irful, O ye of hit!- 

rive need of 
these toil is said unto his di>< 

M any- 
thing M and 

i;i:v. mi:. BOBWOWTBY. 
1 :n the seren- 

v, was an an ,t man, 

hut daring tin- persecution of the times was impri- 
re he was cruel I v treated. 
After his releaee he was occasionally reduced to 
traits. Once when he and his fain 
sted they had nothing left for ; 
and his wife aoked, " W hat shall I d • 
cluldrt'ii I" — He por—a dod her to take a wa 
him, an * lit- bird, be said, " Tak« 

bo* thai bird aita and ehirpa, thooffc it knows not 
from whence it shall have a dinner. I 

. and do not dial I idence 

ra we not better than many span 

boy bad 
plenty hi them. Then was the 



CONFIDENCE IN THE HOUR OF TRIAL. 189 

promise fulfilled, " They who trust in the Lord 
shall not want any good thing." 

THE MISSIONARIES AND THE PRIVATEER, 
The following anecdote is recorded in the diary 
kept at Frerdensburg, a settlement of the Mora- 
vians, in St. Croix, a Danish West India island : — 
" In March, 1819, Mr. Bell, a captain of a ship 
from Philadelphia, who is a religious man, living 
some time in this island, paid us several visits. One 
day he brought with him another captain, from Bal- 
timore, of the name of Boyle. Having for some 
time conversed on religious subjects, the latter in- 
quired whether any of our family were on board an 
English vessel, with only six guns, and twenty-two 
men, which in the year 1814 was attacked by a 
North American privateer of fourteen guns, and one 
hundred and twenty men, on her voyage to St. Tho- 
mas ; and which, after a most desperate conflict, 
beat off the enemy. He added that he supposed 
very fervent prayer had been offered up on board 
that vessel. Sister Ramuch answered, that she was 
on board the English vessel, and could assure him 
that there was. • That I believe,' replied the cap- 
tain, ' for I felt the effect of your prayers.' He then 
informed us that he was the captain who command- 
ed the privateer. ' According to my way of think- 
ing at that time,' said he, ' I was determined to 
strain every nerve to get possession of the British 
vessel, or sink her ; but she was protected by a 
higher power, against which all my exertions proved 



180 






Hip. 1 Thai disappointment and defeat ■rtimiihttd 

further 
thought about these things; an.! 

this St.. 

ict, *a 
learn that under all circutnstancea, however bad and 

to fan' kith and Is | \! mighty 

hat ha cannot 
nor his band ,t aare; 

>rd to aave bj 
01 by f< wr.' 1 Saw 
uan cat 

I him hold 

a ship so ooperior ia fate •«>raing again". 

poor LiU 

chor of hope in the promii 

time for 

mind his m 
,,f old t: ith which has given 

ich wonderful n the preach 

doras, stirred up these ri . to effectual, 

iOM wore too 



SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 191 

mighty for the carnal weapons of their powerful 
and determined enemies. They had but one refuge 
to flee unto ; but that refuge was the mighty God 
of Jacob ; the God to whom salvation belongeth ; and 
because they trusted in his power, he caused them 
to rejoice in his mercy. "Well might, they exclaim 
one to the other, as they saw their enemies retreat- 
ing with shame and confusion from contending any 
longer with their little vessel, ' O sing unto the Lord 
a new song, for he hath done marvellous things ; his 
right hand and his holy arm hath gotten the vic- 
tory.'" 



SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 

REVOLTING AVOWAL. 
I remember some years ago to have heard, says a 
writer in the Cong. Magazine for 1826, a young 
minister, who was settled in a small obscure town, 
preach a sermon at an association meeting, which 
was richly adorned with the graces of finished com- 
position. He was afterwards asked by a senior 
brother whether he preached such sermons at 
home ; and having answered in the affirmative, 
"And how many of your people," it was said, " do 
you think can understand you V " About five or 
six," he replied. The avowal produced, as might 
be expected, among men of piety and experience, a 
mixed emotion of grief and indignation. Nor can 



■i 

: Mtor and teacher 

ing flowers and weavme ; f n the 

• 

who has assumed an oil aid awful re- 

sponse his m- 

• n the souls of his charge are 
sf tin-in raining, unprepared, into et< 
O shameful prostitution of the noblest 

REV. 

Thk K II an eminent minister of 

tury, who laboured for many 

at the 

• markable for 

i lied upon to 

- Mary's church in that town, high,, ex- 

"io character of tho 

iagglta in his own Bind, 

arising from the tamptBtMM his talent and 

rt'ul impression ot the im- 

^'osj^l with 

lir :it 1. nu'th \vis«'lv -ourse. 

»e-chance)lor and students were not pleased, 

the professors commended nil 

■ •■ • \ . . ■ i 

of Dr •) became one of the moat emi- 

b dav. 



SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 193 

REV. JOHN* WESLEY. 
In June, 1790, the Rev. John Wesley preached at 
Lincoln ; his text was, Luke x, 42 : " One thing is 
needful." When the congregation were retiring 
from the chapel, a lady exclaimed, in a tone of 
great surprise, " Is this the great Mr. Wesley, of 
whom we hear so much in the present day ? Why, 
the poorest might have understood him." The gen- 
tleman to whom this remark was made replied, " In 
this, madam, he displays his greatness ; that, whilst 
the poorest can understand him, the most learned 
are edified, and cannot be offended." 

REV. DR. EVANS. 
The late Rev. Dr. C. Evans, of Bristol, having 
once to travel from home, wrote to a poor congre- 
gation, to say that he should have occasion to stay 
a night in their village, and that if it were agreeable 
to them he would give them a sermon. The poor 
people hesitated for some time, but at length per- 
mitted him to preach. After sermon he found them 
in a far happier mood than when he first came 
among them, and could not forbear inquiring into the 
reason of all this. " Why, sir, to tell you the truth," 
said one of them, " knowing that you were a very 
learned man. and that you were a teacher of young 
ministers, we were much afraid we should not un- 
derstand you ; but you have been quite as plain as 
any minister we ever hear." "Ay, ay," the doctor 
replied, " you entirely misunderstood the nature of 
13 



191 minister; 

learning, my friend ; its d« 

who says, in 

one of his charges to his clergy, M How much Icaru- 

rc<iuired to make these things 

The lat i ill was once aakt 

gkt of a ser; had been delivered 

i had s eemed 

to excite a great sensation among the congregation : 

but a man cannot 

Dr. HeJUUft rt-latrs, that « was mi- 

beforc the lord mayo 

■I St. Paul's. 11' ~i . .- d : ■•; lb I Ml 

. 

turning home in the ev. 
poet man polled the sleeve o€ lus gove, and asked 

if Ik- w ■ man who had preached 

tin- lord mayor in the morning. * >a 
replying in the ami 

with the hoj | some good I 

■ooli km l was gn all) disappointed . '■• 
undent deal of what 

<iuite al The doctoi 



SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 195 

P Friend, if I did not give you a sermon, you have 
given me one ; and, by the grace of God, I will ne- 
ver again play the fool, in preaching before my lord 
mayor in such a manner." 

REV. DR. CAMPBELL. 
" Is not Mr. B. a deep preacher f" asked a friend 
of the late Dr. Campbell, of Aberdeen. " Eh !" 
replied the doctor, smiling, " I will tell you a story, 
sir. When I was a boy, I was amusing myself, with 
some other boys, in a pool. Some of them were 
going farther in than I was disposed to go, and I 
was frightened. To a man, who was passing by, I 
called out, ' Is this pool deep V ' No, man,' replied 
he, ' it is only muddy.'' There is such a thing as 
preaching the deep things of God, which will be 
neither understood nor relished by the natural man. 
But it is very possible to preach the plain truths of 
the gospel, in a language and style which at once 
clothe them with mystery, and expose them to ridi- 
cule. It ought never to be forgotten that the gospel 
is a revelation ; and that it is by manifestation of the 
truth that the preacher is to commend himself to 
every man's conscience. I have heard of a minis- 
ter discussing the unrevealed glories of Christ. 
This may be deep preaching ; I am sure it must be 
very nonsensical and unprofitable." 

REV. S. KILPIK 
On one occasion, whilst the late Rev. S. Kilpin was 
preaching, but not in his own pulpit, he mentioned 



iu>; TER. 

lh« jwatO^bylhenMnaof^lhoDeity." A sail- 
• was listening, immediately started from his 
elbows fully spread, and exclaimed 

i were about to turn him 
[nested 
resume his seat, with the reraar, 

..eantho aha sailor 

• I thought so, hut was not quite I 

that name b- : humbled mi- 

foo had a nplit to inquire 
l'i message oi 
and justice 10 immortal soots, 1 OOgkl not to have 

vented 

Mr."' v. 

■ 

and begged 
pardon te the is* 

i as, requested the kksd pentleman 
some refreshment with him to make r 

: J],:, •• how u « thai I oaa remessl 

ment . I <>f com- 

•w each 



SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 197 

other in succession. For instance," added he, 
" suppose I were to say to my servant, ' Betty, you 
must go and buy some butter, and starch, and cream, 
and soap, and tea, and blue, and sugar, and cakes.' 
Betty would be apt to say, ' Master, I shall never 
remember all these.' But suppose I were to say, 
' Betty, you know your mistress is going to have 
friends to tea to-morrow, and that you are going to 
wash the day following ; and that for the tea-party 
you will want tea, and sugar, and cream, and cakes, 
and butter ; and for the washing you will want soap, 
and starch, and blue ;' Betty would instantly reply, 
' Yes, master, I can now remember them all very 
well !' " 

«I SHOULD HAVE LEFT MY BIBLE AND 
BROUGHT MY DICTIONARY." 

A gentlewoman went one day to hear Dr. 

preach, and, as usual, carried a pocket Bible with 
her, that she might turn to any of the passages the 
preacher might happen to refer to. But she found 
that she had no use for her Bible there ; and, on 
coming away, said to a friend, " I should have left 
my Bible at home to-day, and have brought my dic- 
tionary. The doctor does not deal in Scripture, but 
in such learned words and phrases as require the 
help of an interpreter to render them intelligible." 

REV. J. THOROWGOOD. 
The Rev. J. Thorowgood, a dissenting minister in 
England, though a learned critic himself, did not 



1 *J*? 

approve of introducing any parade of chlioiam into 

;:, •..;• ftjSj f< U of Ell mm:->lrv. *fl BJSjSjssJ M 

instance of hia indiscretion one time is pTeashisg ; 

ue my lip*," says xation at my 

folly last Lord's day. I was preaching upon a very 
■knag subject. My people were all silence and 
attention, when, in the midst of an important theme, 
I meanly stopped to divert them mg cri- 

ticism. 0, how did I blush at my fc 

n, my dear friend, lor your caution." 



DR. CHALMKRa 
There was a little old woman in the city of Glas- 
ho Bmch admi :ners, and diligently 

attended all i. on Sunday and week-dare, 

theoiogi- 
ral or astronomical. One day she cane home hi 
sTreat ] I halmers had dwelt 

upon a "moral l^ver," with which he wished to up- 
lift human natun\ What a M ■ a as the 
little old woman could not divine. A friend took the 
j>oker, ■ »f the grate, 

M the id. a. an. I Bakf the imagery palpable. 

I woman paused — mused — and at last the fire 

Ixirnnd. She thought of the ind pulpit, 

and the subject, tin herself, by so gross 

a nsHerializatxMi of the " moral lever," and, burst- 

ican to 
1 timers would preach a hale how 



SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 199 

PULPIT ELOQUENCE. 
The following extract, from the British Critic, will 
be found to suit some other latitudes besides those 
of the United Kingdom, and to describe a style not 
confined altogether to the Church of England. 

" At no period, probably, has the Church of Eng- 
land possessed a larger proportion of sound, good, 
and effective preachers ; but we confess, that of 
pulpit eloquence, which is most popular, at least in 
towns, our opinion is very low. It is a thing sui- 
ge?ieris, — it constitutes a peculiar style. It is like 
the miserable thing which we sometimes see in the 
streets, — a boy or girl, gaudy with worn tinsel, 
tricked out in a smart dress, unusually extravagant, 
and walking upon stilts. There is no simplicity in 
it, no nature, no depth ; little or nothing but a flood 
of confused metaphors and bombastic exaggerations. 
It proceeds upon fundamentally wrong principles, 
fostered by the publications whose business it is to 
print, week after week, the tumid and declamatory 
rant, which passes, we fear, with too many, for the 
climax of sublimity. We apprehend, indeed, that 
the tendency of pulpit eloquence is now, more than 
ever — although it cannot last — to florid declamation, 
and the clap-traps of a false style. Certain it is 
that the preacher, who is lavish of ornaments, or 
softens into pathetic tenderness, or melts and flares 
by turns, or scatters flowers with an unsparing hand, 
is tolerably sure to carry away the suffrages of the 
majority of his audience. Here, therefore, is a very 



200 

•ore and perilous temptation, against which a young 
and aspiring man Deeds, most particularly, to be 
pet upon his L'uarii. 

{.it too often 
,ut that the words hate 
natter, but that the matter 
has been dragged forward to iatrodoc 
• The bt$t n>. 

irticular ph- 

l 

Bind a strong impression of the 
ttd tenor of reasoning, rather than ■ 
andpiec reasiooe 

uii.l images. 

meh pulpit o »H *• 

. ar with a multitude of grand terms, and ' 
I ; while it 

or exhortation upon 
not the steady pros* cution of an im] 
collection of 

the merchant tailors' dino : =»' th» l 

eUboi itioa of phi ioco , which is some- 

c died eloquence, in which yon h 
inmon sense, 
rreateot mult.'. 
" In truth, if the distinc 



SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 201 

word should be amplification. We do not mean the 
amplification like that of Barrow, or Jeremy Tay- 
lor, which consists in the multitude of ideas and in- 
genious illustrations, arising from the affluent fertil- 
ity of an exuberant fancy ; but the mere amplification 
of words and sounds. Thus, the great size of a thing 
is, ' the gigantic amplitude of its colossal dimen- 
sions ;' and the whole race of the Tudor family of 
words, — if we may borrow an execrable pun, — such 
as amplitude, altitude, plentitude, latitude, — is in 
especial request, together with all others which are 
grandiloquent and polysyllabic, puffing themselves 
out like the frog in the fable. * * * * 
A writer, or speaker, with a bold and common style, 
might say, ' no man ever thought soS But observe 
the modern process of indefinite circumlocution. 
First it is, ' no man alive ;' then, ' no human being 
under heaven ;' then, ' no human being who lives and 
breathes under the canopy of the skies ;' then, ' no 
sentient, intelligent, rational, accountable, immortal 
being, who inhales the gladsome breath of human 
existence' — or, perhaps, ' who plods his weary way 
through this howling wilderness of earth, under the 
azure vault of the empyreal canopy' — and so on, ' ad 
infinitum.'' In the same way ' has ever thought so' 
comes out as, ' has ever entertained the shadow of 
such an imagination in the caverned chambers and 
curtained recesses of his inmost mind.' But really 
our specimen is very poor! We are mere tyros in 
the art. The adepts themselves — those magnificent 
gold-beaters of language — would hammer out the 



202 HKimmti m*. 

thought to a far more glittering tod prodigious 
length. For practice makes perfect, and they ap- 
pear almost to spin sentences by a rec 

vhen they are at a 
loss for ideas, eke out their Latin rerses by culling 
.! wreath of synonvmes, and phrases, 
and epithets, from the Gradus ad Parnassum. 

e might also produce a specimen of a 
popular sermon, wl 

/ Quality.* It on 

tome melliflimu* OfipMUiOt about ' the melodies of 

the ether region*.' ;wi<l 'the harp-notes of the an- 

1 its shortest word ought to be 

1 ineomprehentibilit] ' P I might 

! nprehensibility of the apparatus 

• -I in the machinery of the unirerae may be 

.on the 
platform of hit own mind, and ponders scroti 
on its undcripheral . whether ho 

broad on - r I 

i) s of nature, surveying its amplitudes in all 
.:ul itt unt'athomabilities in all th> 
fluidity,' &•. Hut we .stop ; for we in 
on almost sacred ground, although a scho 
iniu'iit make toeb :i teran 

difficult, with • 

I it is. that while, on the 006 
Mil'-, it burlesques all sense, and 00T1 

1 ..■!. it may eventually throw 



SIMPLICITY OF LANGUAGE. 203 

disrepute on the real beauty of rich and brilliant 
diction, and frighten men out of the reality by their 
disgust at the caricature. It may have the effect of 
inducing them to abjure all eloquence, and eschew 
all tropes and figures, although metaphors may be, 
in many cases, the most natural, and the most forci- 
ble, of all modes of expression." 

BISHOP HURD. 
" The venerable Dr. Hurd, bishop of Worcester," 
says the author of " The Life and Times of Selina, 
Countess of Huntingdon," " being in the habit of 
preaching frequently, had observed a poor man re- 
markably attentive, and made him some little pre- 
sents. After a while he missed his humble auditor ; 
and meeting him, said, ' John, how is it that I do 
not see you in the aisle as usual V John, with some 
hesitation, replied, ' My lord, I hope you will not be 
offended, and I will tell you the truth. I went the 
other day to hear the Methodists, and I understood 
their plain words so much better, that I have attend- 
ed them ever since.' The bishop put his hand into 
his pocket, and gave him a guinea, with words to 
this effect : — ' God bless you ! go where you can 
receive the greatest profit to your soul.' " 

IMPORTANT CAUTION". 
" I hope," says Dr. Doddridge, " my younger bre- 
thren in the ministry will pardon me, if I entreat 
their particular attention to this admonition — Not to 
give the main part of their time to the curiosities of 



MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

learning, and only a few fragn 

•hey see cause 
m their last moments to ;. 

-ban he 
could use ibem — ' I have lost a !.:■ . .tling.' " 



IMPROVEMENT OF TIME. 



REDEEMING THE TIME. 

hastily into I chamber, I had almost thrown 
down a crystal hoor-glaM ; fi ;ir leet I had. made me 
1 had broken it ; but ala- 

away without any regret I 
injur a pearl ; 

that but like to be bruk. :.. •. ; thai 

but casually — this done wiltullv I . hour- 
glaaa might be bought ; but tim< 

re more for toys than ' 

an boor-glass, do! to be by me, but to be in 

• to number my dmyt. An hour-glass 

to turn inc, that I may turn Kg | !>>m. 

REV, JOHH 

in was not less remarkable tor his in- 
other eminent charact< 
ad the usual 
man, he was abundant in I i soared abo*e 



IMPROVEMENT OF TIME. 205 

the harmless wish which the generality of mankind 
indulge, 

■ To crown a youth of labour with an age of ease ;" 
for he slackened not his pace to the last week of his 
life. 

"When I cast my eyes," says Mr. Thomas 
Olivers, " on a hundred volumes which he has pub- 
lished ; when I think of about five thousand miles 
which he has yearly travelled, of about one thousand 
discourses which he has yearly delivered, of one 
thousand sick-beds which he has yearly visited, and, 
perhaps, twice that number of letters which he has 
yearly answered ; when I see him now between 
seventy and eighty years of age, refusing, absolutely 
refusing, to abate anything of all these mighty la- 
bours ; (unless it be that of so much riding on horse- 
back ;) when I see him, at this very time, with his 
silver locks, with a meager, worn-out, skeleton body, 
smiling at storms and tempests, and labours and 
fatigues ; in short, when I still see, what I have 
constantly seen ever since I have known Mr. Wes- 
ley, how lavish he is of his strength, time, money, 
and influence, for the relief of the poor, the support 
of the weak, the prosperity of the church, the con- 
version of sinners, and the glory of God, I am asham- 
ed of myself, and of all about me." 

" I believe," says the Rev. Henry Moore, " it is 
hardly possible for those not intimate with this ex- 
traordinary man, to have a just idea of his faithful- 
ness in this respect. In many things he was gentle 
and easy to be entreated, but on this point decisive 



206 MINIS TfcK I BR. 

neday his chaise waedelav 
yond the ap; • id put up his papers 

and left his apartment. V g at the door 

he was heard to exclaim, ' / have lost ten minutes 
firm 

.. MATTHIIW WD 
An aged American minister states, thai in the early 
part of his mi London, he called on 

the lai Mr. \V. received 

him with courtesy, ami enured into conversation, 
which was kept up briskly till the most important re- 
ligious intelligence in possession of each had been 
■parted. Suddenly there was a pause — . 
broken by Mr. W. u H. yon anything more to 
oommnnicate '" " No, nothing 
" Any further inquil i 

r's business to 
. ning. v "Hi 
ter, " I received a lesson on thi 
trusion, and 011 the most manly method of prevent- 
ing it." 

i;kv a I 
Thi late Rev. Samml Bi waadie- 

tingmahed through lira for punctuality. When a 
youth, in college, he was nevet known to be a 
minute behind time in attending the lectures of the 
ox the famil) ■ ungmen 

who boarded in private families were expected to as- 

semble. On rem 



IMPROVEMENT OF TIME. 207 

the clock struck seven, and all rose up for prayers ; 
but the tutor, observing that Mr. Brewer was not 
present, paused awhile. Seeing him enter the room, 
he thus addressed him : " Sir, the clock has struck, 
and we were ready to begin ; but, as you were absent, 
we supposed the clock was too fast, and therefore 
waited." The clock was actually too fast by some 
minutes. 

BISHOP HALL. 
In a letter which this excellent prelate wrote to his 
friend Lord Denny, he gives an account of the way in 
which Christians should spend their days, and from 
many circumstances it is evident, that he delineated 
the manner in which he himself spent them, so far 
as it was in his power. 

" I desire to awake, not when I will, but when I 
must ; pleasure is not a fit rule for rest, but health. 
Now when sleep is rather driven away than leaves 
me, I would ever wake with God. My first thoughts 
are for Him, who hath made the night for rest, and 
the day for labour ; and as he gives, so he blesses 
both. If my heart be early seasoned with his pre- 
sence, it will savour of him all the day after. 

" While my body is dressing, my mind addresses 
itself to her ensuing task ; bethinking what is to be 
done, and in what order ; and marshalling, as it may, 
my hours with my work. That done, I walk up to 
my masters and companions, my books ; and sitting 
down among them, I dare not reach forth my hand 
to any of them till I have first looked up to heaven, 



208 HARACTER. 

and en I my studies 

i neither pro- 
fit nor labour. Aft- ■■* **■ 
I .nil forth those which may best 

I'sbook: that day is lost where- 
of some hours are not U n p roved in those I 
monmii' *'»•» »jr 

anon devotioi 
out sorai 

int: up with a more strong- and ch 

er work, which 1 find made easy 
ioceire 
tin- hours with change of 

• • 
other r ■ both. 

• dilates 
sad winds op foi future use; son 
unto present discourse ; m 

for <'t: 

" Thus could I, all day, 
self music w ith changes ; and complain 

■ 
it not that this flint monitor interrupts me .still in the 
ol inv busy plessures, and ennteea dm both to 
'.recreations, 
arc now seasonable nnd 

tii 
nay not be pleased, but I and that 

\< ithcr would 1 think 



IMPROVEMENT OF TIME. 209 

these comforts worth respect in themselves ; but in 
their use, in their end, so far as they may strengthen 
me for better things. If I see any dish to tempt the 
palate, I fear a serpent in that apple, and would 
please myself in a wilful denial. I rise capable of 
more, not desirous ; not now immediately from my 
trencher to my book, but after some intermission. 
After my latter meal my thoughts are slight ; only 
my memory may be charged with her task of recall- 
ing what was committed to her custody in the day, 
and my heart is busy in examining all my senses of 
that day's behaviour. 

" And now the evening is come, no tradesman does 
more carefully take in his wares, clear his shopboard, 
and shut his windows, than I would shut up my 
thoughts, and clear my mind. That student shall 
live miserably, who, like a camel, lies down under 
his burden. All this done, calling together my fami- 
ly, we end the day with God." He then says, that 
his practice is not to be an example for all, the lives 
of different ranks and callings must be different ; yet 
all must conspire in honest labour. " Sweat is the 
destiny of all trades ; whether of the body or of the 
mind. God never allowed any man to do nothing. 
How miserable is the condition of those men, who 
spend the time as if it were given to them, and not 
lent ! as if hours were waste creatures, and such as 
should never be accounted for ! as if God would take 
this for a good bill of reckoning : ' Item, spent upon 
my pleasures, forty years !' These men shall find 
that no blood can privilege idleness, and that nothing 
14 



MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

■ desire 
to cast away, time. 

d days. But God*s day 
calls for other respect. The same sun arises 

l>ecause the sun of righte- 
ousness arose upon it, ami pave a new life unto the 
world in it, and dr- • - moral 

■ 
I his is the day which thl 
made H ' !. and in a sort my- 

self; and deal with my wonted thoughts, as gTeat 
men use, who at sonic times of their ; 

f all suitors. Pray . read- 

aring, preaching, singing, pood con! 
are the businesses of this • not be- 

:iiy work or pleasure, bul 
i was the course of 
Hall to produce his numerous and valuable w : 

sing in ail his works, and 
Imputed onto him. 

I rrison, 
of China, when giving an aeeount of I*eang Afa, 
the < 'bineaa evangelist, 1. 
ment, and for some time ; 

and acting much, under the vivid impreaaioo that he 
. account to his Saviour ; and it 
i 

men, and m ik now '' " 



IMPROVEMENT OF TIME. 211 

KEV. DR. DODDRIDGE. 
It is observed of Dr. Dodridge, that before he went 
to visit his friends, and especially before he under- 
took a journey, it was his custom to employ some 
time in seriously considering what opportunities he 
might have of doing good, that he might be prepared 
to embrace and improve them ; to what temptations 
he might be exposed, that he might be armed against 
them ; and on his return he examined himself, what 
his behaviour had been, and whether he had most 
reason for pain or pleasure on the reflection ; and 
his previous and subsequent reflections were attend- 
ed with correspondent devotions. 

REV. R. CECIL. 
" Having some business," said the Rev. R. Cecily 
" to transact with a gentleman in the city, I called 
one day at his counting-house ; he begged I would 
call again, as I had so much more time to spend 
than he had, who was a man of business. ' An 
hour is nothing to you !' said he. You seem little 
to understand the nature of our profession," Mr. Ce- 
cil replied. " One hour of a clergyman's time, rightly 
employed, sir, is worth more to him than all the 
gains of your merchandise." 

WHITEFIELD AND TENNEKT. 
When Mr. Whitefield was last in America, Mr. 
Tennent made him a visit, as he was passing through 
New- Jersey ; and one day dined with other minis- 



IARACTER. 

tcra at a gentleman's house. A ; 

adrerted to t. -die gospel mi- 

said that he was weary with the be day ; 

that in a sh< 
k would be done, when he should depart and 

to rest. -rally asset,- 

I by hiscoun- 
-ure m the • 
sation — on which -Mr. W., tapping him on the knee, 
Well, broth i oldest 

in:wi among us. do you not 

■0 n-:ir at hand when you shall be called 

nit 11." Mr. W . pneead him a;*ai!; 
I 

.:i ; and it' you km w your duty :i uould be 

you. 1 have notl fi ; my 

-as well as I 

t -an — II ter as faithfully as I can, 

until he shall think | Mr. 

W. still urged lor an e\j. licit answer to h: 

hull. Ill 

choice. Mr. I 

■ think [ Wi I was 10 

end my man into the held to plough, and if at noon 



IMPROVEMENT OF TIME. 213 

I should go to the field, and find him lounging under 
a tree, and complaining, ' Master, the sun is very- 
hot, and the ploughing hard ; I am weary of the work 
you have appointed me, and am overdone with the 
heat and burden of the day. Do, master, let me re- 
turn home, and be discharged from this hard ser- 
vice.' What would I say % Why, that he was a 
lazy fellow ; that it was his business to do the work 
that I had appointed him, until I should think fit to 
call him home." 

REV. JOSEPH ALLEINE. 
Mr. Joseph Alleine, when in health, rose con- 
stantly at or before four o'clock, and on Sabbath 
sooner, if he awoke. He was much troubled if he 
heard any smiths, or shoemakers, or other trades- 
men at work, before he was in his duties with God, 
often saying to his wife, " how this noise shames 
me. Does not my Master deserve more than theirs!" 
He used often to say, " Give me a Christian that 
counts his time more precious than gold." 

REV. THOMAS SHEPHARD. 
Mr. Thomas Shephard was an excellent preacher, 
and took great pains in his preparations for the pul- 
pit. He used to say, " God will curse that man's 
labours who goes idly up and down all the week, and 
then goes into his study on a Saturday afternoon. 
God knows that we have not too much time to pray 
in, and weep in, and get our hearts into a fit frame 
for the duties of the Sabbath." 









COMPASSION FOR THE PERISHING. 

v. J. W. ii.i 

i .ut pastor, ho daily acquainted himself 

with the \\ a ii in and dispositions of his people, anxious- 
ly watc ouseholds, and dili- 
gently teaching them from family to family. Esteem- 
ing no HUB tOO BNB) too ignorant, or too pro 
merit his affectionate attention, he condescended to 
the lowest and most unworthy of his flock, 
fully beoOMUg ihfl servant of all, that he SNJg 

In some of th' 
and eaofltraioing manner in which ho has 

piety has melted down a whole family 

old and Ihfl young have 1 

tears together, and solemnly determined to turn right 

humbly to toil God. Than were indeed several 

families in his populous parish, to which he had no 

. whose members, loving 6sjrlmeosrath< 

v him ■n'missi 

should he reproved. In Mich eases, where his aeal 
f.>r th<- salvation of individuals could not possibly be 
Mfld by persuasion and I was ef- 

fectual;, i by supplication anil prayer; nor 

s the door of an opposing family with- 
out an earnest desire that the I 
t never sfl I aired against their ap- 



COMPASSION FOR THE PERISHING. 215 

The following interesting incident occurred while 
he was seeking relief from the pressure of suffering 
amid the mountains and valleys of his native Switzer- 
land : — " I have ventured," says he, " to preach once, 
and to expound once in the church. Our ministers 
are very kind, and preach to the purpose : a young 
one of this town gave us lately a very excellent Gos- 
pel sermon. Grown-up people stand fast in their 
stupidity, or in their self-righteousness. The day I 
preached I met with some children in my wood, 
walking or gathering strawberries. I spoke to them 
about our Father, our common Father. We felt a 
touch of brotherly affection. They said they would 
sing to their Father as well as the birds ; and fol- 
lowed me ; attempting to make such melody as you 
know is commonly made in these parts. I outrode 
them, but some of them had the patience to follow 
me home, and said they would speak with me ; but 
the people of the house stopped them, saying I would 
not be troubled with children. They cried, and said, 
They were sure I would not say so, for I was their 
good brother. The next day when I heard it, I in- 
quired after them, and invited them to come to me ; 
which they have done every day since. I make 
them little hymns, which they sing. Some of them 
are under sweet drawings. Yesterday I wept for 
joy on hearing one of them speak of conviction of sin, 
and joy unspeakable in Christ which had followed, as 
an experienced believer would do in Bristol. Last 
Sunday I met them in the wood ; there were one 
hundred of them, and as many adults. Our first 



216 MINI 

pastor has sin 

■. ood (for 1 : 
■- • ; rind I hai 

le Horne n 
meident : — ( >n my wcii I was 

struck ig on Noah as 

<>f a most ani- 
mating description of the ■• Lord, 
when he sudtlmly paused. Every feature of his cx- 
re countenance was mark- :ul feel- 
ing, and striking his forehead with the palm of his 
hand, he exelaiined, "Wretched man that I am! 
Beloved brethren, it often cuts me to the soul, as it 
does at this moment, to reflect that, while I 

M the truth, hy ihe hoau- 

to hring you to walk in the peaceable pa 

. I 
jeel the gospel, only tying millsto 
to sink you deeper in perdil 

Dtrified, and it was some lime befoi 
the suhjeet. 
( )n anothrr oeeasion. alter the morn:: 

asked it' any of the Mm the 

sick man whom he 9 

• 1 ; •• another soul launch 
eternity ' \n hal oaa 1 do tor him now ' \\ 

, will you so frequently senre me in this man- 



COMPASSION FOR THE PERISHING. 217 

ner 1 I am not informed that you are ill till I find 
you dying, or hear that you are dead !" Then, sit- 
ting down, he covered his head with his gown ; and 
when the congregation had retired, he walked home 
buried in sorrow, as though he had lost a friend or a 
brother. 

THE PREACHER AND THE ROBBERS. 
A Methodist preacher, many years ago, in Ireland, 
was journeying to the village where he had to dis- 
pense the word of life, according to the usual routine 
of his duty, and was stopped on his way by three 
robbers. One of them seized his bridle reins, an- 
other presented a pistol and demanded his money, — 
the third was a mere looker-on. 

The grave and devoted man looked each and all 
of them in the face, and with great gravity and seri- 
ousness said, " Friends, did you pray to God before 
you left home 1 Did you ask God to bless you in 
your undertakings to-day 1" 

These questions startled them for the moment. 
Recovering themselves, one said, " We have no time 
to answer such questions, we want your money." 

" I am a poor preacher of the Gospel," w T as the 
reply ; " but what little money I have shall be given 
you." A few shillings was all he had to give. 

" Have you not a watch ?" 

" Yes." 

"Well, then, give it to us." 

In taking his watch from his pocket, his saddle- 
bags were displayed. 



I ER. 

lung iu ibom but i< 
books, i -hoes and a 

of linen 

•• \\ i thorn." 

iher dismounted. The saddle- 
keo possession of, and no funhcr de- 
t began to un- 
button his u'reat-coat, and to throw it off his shoul- 
thc same tin • Will you have my 

wiit !*' 
" No," was tho reply, " you arc a generous man, 
and wo will not take it.'' 

He then addressed them as follows: "I have 
given you everythirj .1 have 

given you more than you asked for; I have one 
favoor t«> a.->k of i 
M Wbol is that I" 

M That you will kneel down and allow DM to pray 
with you, and to pr . nit be- 

half; to ask him to turn your hearts and | 
upon better waye." 

"I'll have nothing to do with the 1.. 
said the ringleader of them. 

1 either/ 1 said another of them. 

lake your watch — take your saddle-baj 
anything to do with yu, the jud 

.rli article was returned. That, kov 
did not II 

u\>oi\ them. ll<' knell down ; i 



COMPASSION FOR THE PERISHING. 219 

knelt with him ; one prayed, the other wept — con- 
fessed his sin, and said it was the first time in his 
life he had done such a thing, and should be the last. 
How far he kept his word is known only to Him to 
whom the darkness and the light are equally alike ; 
to Him whose eyelids try the children of men. 

REV. JOHN" SMITH. 
The following anecdote, says the author of" Sketches 
of Wesleyan Preachers," was related in the hearing 
of the writer by Rev. James Methley, and is also 
mentioned by Mr. Treffry, which annihilated, in the 
minds of all who heard it, whatever feelings were 
entertained adverse to the course adopted by this holy 
man. While he was stationed in the Windsor cir- 
cuit, he was attending an anniversary at Canterbury, 
where his friend and schoolfellow, Mr. Methley, was 
stationed. At this time Mr. Smith's labours were 
almost superhuman, and his constitution was mani- 
festly giving way under them. It was resolved by 
his brethren, that he should be affectionately remon- 
strated with, and Mr. Methley was deputed to intro- 
duce the subject. At the supper-table a favourable 
opportunity presented itself, and Mr. Methley opened 
the matter to him. The friendship between them 
was strong and ardent ; they were both men of noble, 
generous natures. Mr. Smith laid down his knife 
and fork, and listened to his friend with affectionate 
respect ; then, bursting into tears, he replied, " I 
know it all. I ought to put a restraint upon myself. 
But what can I do 1 God has given me such a view 



220 MINI IER. 

of the perishing condition m only 

entreating them to 

COIMO t to ttVO 

then, his feelings overcu- 
paused a few moments, and added, " Look around 
sod brother; do you not see sin- 
ners pei nd, and must they not be 
O do not seek to turn me from my purpose ; 
fur while 1 thus see and f nptUtd to act 
as I do.'' All were silenced, and all were melted 
into tears ; — Mr. M.thk y being so overcome that he 
was compelled abruptly to leave the root 
said Mr. M., his eyes fitting with tears at the recol- 
lection ; " never shall I forget that evening. Often 
: 'plied to afterward, as known to be his 
my influence to arr< ■ ; bull 
could not do it ; my mouth was 

mj a wunl ; I 

evening remains with in- I 

THE LAX a 
BOOth of Africa there is a large lazar-house 
i is. It is an immi 
vrrv high ^ :i "i and containing fields, which the lepers 
cultivate. Then is onl] oe, which is 

strictly guided. Whenever any one ii found with 
Ihe marks of leprosy upon him, he ii brought to this 

fed to enter in, never to rata 
one who enters in by that awful 
Within thi 
- 



COMPASSION FOR THE PERISHING. 221 

ease. Dr. Halbeck, a missionary of the Church of 
England, from the top of a neighbouring hill, saw 
them at work. He noticed two particularly, sowing 
•peas in the field. The one had no hands, the other 
had no feet, — these members being wasted away by 
disease. The one who wanted the hands was carry- 
ing the other who wanted the feet upon his back, and 
he again carried in his hands the bag of seed, and 
dropped a pea every now and then, which the other 
pressed into the ground with his foot — and so they 
managed the work of one man between the two. 
Two Moravian missionaries, impelled by an ardent 
love for souls, have chosen the lazar-house as their 
field of labour. They entered it never to come out 
again ; and it is said that as soon as these die, other 
Moravians are quite ready to fill their places. " Ah ! 
my dear friends," adds the late Rev. Robert M'- 
Cheyne, " may we not blush, and be ashamed before 
God, that we, redeemed with the same blood, and 
taught by the same Spirit, should yet be so unlike 
these men in vehement, heart-consuming love to 
Jesus and the souls of men !" 



■i MINISTERIAL CHARA' 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 



NJEPUKW. 

i intrepidity of 

was stnki! 
his conduet towards one of his nephew 

ee in Switzerland. This young ni 
I the Sardinia a here his profligate 

and Dngentlemanry conduct had given such general 
offence to his brother officers, that tie j 
mined to compel him to leave th< 
them all in Bneceasion. After engaging- in two or 
three duels with varied success, he was oh!. 
quit the m 1 return to his own country. 

Then ' patod his resources in profl 

and extravagance. As a desperate man, he resort- 
ed to desperate measures. II - eldest 
undo, Cieneral de ( Ions : and In d a pri- 
vate audience, he presented a loaded pist 
said, — " Uncle De (.'-mis, if yon do not girt me a 
draft on your banker lor live hundred 

-hoot you." The general, thoudi a hrave man, yet 

seeing himself in the power of ■ desperado. eenabll 
of any mischief, promised to gire him the draft if he 

withdrew the pistol, which, he tight go 

off and kill bin before he intended it. " Hut there 

is another tiling, unele ; you must pr 

your honour, as a gentleman and a soldier, to use no 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 223 

means to recover the draft, or to bring me to jus- 
tice." The general pledged his honour, gave him a 
draft for the money, and at the same time expostu- 
lated freely with him on his infamous conduct. The 
good advice was disregarded, and the young madman 
rode off triumphant with his ill-gotten acquisition. 
In the evening, passing the door of his uncle, Mr. 
Fletcher, a fancy took him to call and pay him a 
visit. As soon as he was introduced he began to 
tell him, with exultation, that he had just called upon 
his uncle De Gons, who had treated him with unex- 
pected kindness, and generously given him five hun- 
dred crowns. " I shall have some difficulty," said 
Mr. Fletcher, " to believe the last part of your in- 
telligence." " If you will not believe me, see the 
proof under his own hand," holding out the draft. 
" Let me see," said Mr. Fletcher, taking the draft, 
and looking at it with astonishment. " It is, indeed, 
my brother's writing ; and it astonishes me to see 
it, because he is not in affluent circumstances ; and 
I am the more astonished, because I know how justly 
and how much he disapproves of your conduct, and 
that you are the last of his family to whom he would 
make such a present." Then folding the draft, and 
putting it into his pocket, " It strikes me, young 
man," he said, " that you have possessed yourself 
of this note by some indirect method ; and in ho- 
nesty I cannot return it to you, but with my brother's 
knowledge and approbation." The pistol was im- 
mediately at his breast ; and he was told, as he va- 
lued life, immediately to return the draft, " My 



MINI PER. 

10 pro- 
\sho guard* 
will he buffer it to i 

- firmness drew from the 
on, that his uncle De 

afraid of death than 

; think I have he- . e years a mi- 

Lord of life to he afraid of death now I 
!. who giveth me the ric- 
tory ! It ifl lor joq ii, who hav. 

reason to fear it. Vou are a gamester and ■ 
yet call yourself a gentleman! You are a duellist, 
ami your hand is red with your brother's blood ; and 
for that you .style yourself a man of honour ! Look 

Tremble in the pres< 

• ut kill your body, 
and forever punish your soul in hell !" By this 
turn- the unhappy man was pale ; he trembled alter- 
nately with fear and passion; hi 
gued, he en: - he withdn 

.ml, fixing hi* hack against the door, stood 
as a sentiii' 

tunes ha closed on his unele, threatening . 
d.'ath. I'mler the.se perilous e;reu: 
Fletcher gave no alarm to the fai u»r no 

weapon, attempted neithei 
sition. He < ith him calmly ; 

address- I him m language truly j.aternal, until ho 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 225 

had fairly disarmed and subdued him. " I cannot," 
said he, " return my brother's draft ; yet I feel for 
the distress in which you have involved yourself, and 
will endeavour to relieve it. My brother De Gons, 
at my request, will, I am sure, voluntarily give you 
a hundred crowns. I will do the same. Perhaps my 
brother Henry will do as much ; and I hope your own 
family will make out the sum among them." He then 
prayed with him and for him. By Mr. Fletchers 
kind mediation, the sum he had promised was ob- 
tained ; and with much good advice on one side, and 
many fair promises on the other, they parted. 

HUGH LATIMER AND HENRY VIII. 
Bishop Latimer having one day preached a ser- 
mon before king Henry VIII., which had displeased 
his majesty, he was ordered to preach again on the 
next Sunday, and to make an apology for the offence 
he had given. After reading his text, the good 
bishop thus began his sermon : — " Hugh Latimer, 
dost thou know before whom thou art this day to 
speak 1 To the high and mighty monarch, the 
king's most excellent majesty, who can take away 
thy life if thou offendest ; therefore, take heed that 
thou speakest not a word that may displease : but 
then, consider well, Hugh, dost thou not know from 
whence thou coraest ; upon whose message thou art 
sent 1 Even by the great and mighty God ! who is 
all-present ! and who beholdeth all thy ways ! and 
who is able to cast thy soul into hell ! Therefore, 
take care that thou deliverest thy message faith- 
15 



M MINISTER! 

fully." 11 :non 

bad preached the preceding Si 

•uld 
be the fate of this honest and plain- .<*p. 

a stern countena:. '" ** 

got,,, i manner. Falling on 

his knees, he replied, his duty to his God and his 
prince had enforced him thereto ; and that he had 
mer , doty and his conscience in 

what he had spoken. Upon which the k 
from his scat, and taking the good man by the hand, 
embraced him, i wed be God I have so 

honest a servant !'" 

The borough of Hull, in th llfM II .. 

chose Andrew Marrell, a young gentleman of little 
or no fortune, and maintained him h I r the 

i ice of the public, 
and spirit, were dreadful to the then infamous I 
nistration. Persuaded he would 1- 
isked, th- il-fellow, the lord trea- 

surer Danby, to renew acquaintance with him in his 
garret. At parting the lord I into 

hand £1,000, and then went to 1: 

• J 1 1 nother mom< 

1 the serranl 
I :;.!,!, what had I for dinner 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 227 

yesterday ?" " Don't you remember, sir, you had 
the little shoulder of mutton that you ordered me to 
bring from a woman in the market ?" " Very right, 
child ; what have I for dinner to-day ?" " Don't 
you know, sir, that you bid me lay by the blade-bone 
to broil V " It is so ; very right, child, go away. 
My lord, do you hear that 1 Andrew Marvell's 
dinner is provided : there is your piece of paper, I 
want it not ; I know the sort of kindness you in- 
tended ; I live here to serve my constituents, the 
ministry may seek men for their purpose ; 1 am not 
one." 

A MINISTER CHALLENGED. 
The preaching of the late Rev. J. Scott having 
been made effectual to the production of a great 
change in a young lady, the daughter of a country 
gentleman, so that she could no longer join the fami- 
ly in their dissipations, and appeared to them as me- 
lancholy, or approaching to it, — her father, who was 
a very gay man, looking upon Mr. Scott as the sole 
cause of what he deemed his daughter's misfortune, 
became exceedingly enraged at him ; so much so, 
that he actually lay in wait, in order to shoot him. 
Mr. S., being providentially apprized of it, was ena- 
bled to escape the danger. The diabolical design 
of the gentleman being thus defeated, he sent Mr. 
S. a challenge. Mr. S. -might have availed himself 
of the law, and prosecuted him, but he took another 
method. He waited upon him at his house, was in- 
troduced to him in his parlour, and with his charac- 



l >oldness and intre; iressed him: 

ild have be* 
fag in this, you sent me a challenge: and v 

you must be, sir, to wish to engrave 
blind in 

>i»» In | the challcn<: 

' . . • 
re appoint the present moil m place, 

where we now are ; and the sword for the w 

ill have been most accustomed.' 1 The gentle 
man was evidently greatly terrified, whi 

ittaiiM '1 his end, pn 
exclaimed, u This is my 
pon 1 wish t( 

whom lie related this anecdote, 
: was a poor careless aim 
.it of ■ Bible bei> . asoned 

with t!i 
duct in treat: 

se he had prea 
gospel. The result was, the gentleman to 
hy the hand, begged his pardon, expressed his sor- 

- his eonduet, and lu-eaine at'lerwaiV 
I'm ndl y to him. 

i! THE TRUTH, AND 
TO IKHX 

fault with by u gave him to un«:- 

that the> most part with him, if he did not all 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 229 

strain of his preaching. The minister, having a 
family, shrank for a time, but it preyed upon his 
health, which his wife observing, plainly told him 
that he distrusted God out of fear of man, and was 
unfaithful ; and begged of him to preach according 
to his conscience, and leave the event to God. 
Accordingly he did so, and was expelled. But just 
at that time a larger church, with a better salary, 
and a more lively people, being vacant, he was 
invited thither, and settled among them ; lived in 
plenty, and preached with acceptance and useful- 
ness till removed by death. 

THE MINISTER ATO THE DYING ROBBER. 
It is not easy to determine under what head to place 
the following unique narrative. It evinces not a little 
" fidelity and Christian courage," and may therefore, 
perhaps, as properly come under this general descrip- 
tion as any. At all events, it records a thrilling ad- 
venture. 

" During the awful visitation of the cholera, a cler- 
gyman of the Church of England, after a day spent in 
visiting many a sick and dying person, had retired 
early, fatigued and exhausted, to his bed, hoping to 
enjoy, for a few hours, the repose which he had so 
much needed. He lay for some time, but he could 
not sleep ; the scenes he had witnessed that day — 
the countenances of the dying, some racked with 
agonizing pain, and some in the livid, death-like tor- 
por of the collapsed state — seemed still before him, 
and nervous feverishness from this excitement ban- 



230 BiinrrwilAL eukMAi n.R. 

ished sleep from hie eyelids. ' O !' thought he ' that 
men were wise, that they understood this, that they 
• Blessed is the 
know the joyful sound of the Gosj. 

Lord, in the light of thy countc- 
M ; and m hen they pass through the valley of the 

I thou art 

i m; thy rod and th) 

ful contrast which that 

had presented to him, in the case of too mu 

The clock struck twelve, and he had just fallen into 

a slumber, when a knock at the hall door aroused 

him : he heard it opened, and in a few minutes his 

ant entered the room. ' 8 ■ man be- 

must speak with i him 

his namo and his busmen.' Mr. T roan, 

dressed hi: ■•'. and taking the candle left 

icscended into the hall. The roan 

stood close to the door. Mr. T approached, 

and held the light to his face, which he se. I 
anxious to conceal. The countenance which he be- 
held was appalling ; dark and thick mustac 

his upper lip ; the heard was long and neglect 

tho eye was sunk, «d .reasion of 

bring Ion- familiarized wuh crim. ■ of 

bom. i What do you wi 

Mid ' :%lIlg 

sa to speak with von.' l What is his 

ocmplaint -hesitated; 

and at length said, * 1 cannot go ■ ■ do 

me yow name, nor the pUoe to whioh 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 231 

you would lead me ; I fear to trust my life in your 

hands." 

; " ' You need not fear,' said the stranger ; ' what 

end would it serve to take your life'? Come with 

me, take no money, and, on my honour, you are safe.' 

Mr. T gave another glance at the man, and 

the word honour, connected with the appearance of 
such a being, made him smile. ' Sit down,' said he ; 
'I will go with you.' He went again to his cham- 
ber, committed himself to the care of his Heavenly 
Father, prayed for his blessing on the visit to the 
dying man, and felt so strengthened and assured by 
his communion with Heaven that he seemed to have 
lost all apprehension of accompanying his ferocious- 
looking guide. 

" He followed the man through many a street of a 
large and populous city ; it seemed as if they traversed 
it in the whole length thereof, so tedious did the way 
appear. The watchmen were calling the hour of one, 
and still they proceeded. At length they came to a 
street, long and narrow, with houses bespeaking 
wretchedness, and well known as a quarter of the 
town remarkable for the vice as well as the poverty 
of its inhabitants. Here the guide stopped, and took 
out of his pocket a knife, and began to scrape away 
some earth from the ground. ' I can go no farther 
with you,' said the clergyman ; but, considering he 
was as much in the power of the man as he could be 
in any possible situation, his courage revived, and he 
watched with intense interest the movements of his 
strange companion. After some time, he opened a 



hich disclosed a vault of 

,1 the man, a* he let himself down 

1 at the inside. Mr. T. 

the awful h 
fled, bat be knew the man might soon 

I in the dark | M 

■I this .strange adventur- 

fl tie Almighty in a short ejacu- 
latorv praver. be watched at the end of the pit. until 
he saw ft light glimmer within it, I 
of Which, as it approached nearer, he saw the man 
place a ladder firmly, ftl rtepi, and er ■ 

him to descend, ftssaring him again of his m& 

did descend into thi 
minded him o( the descent of the prophet into tin 
of lions : for at tin- DOtl 

he beheld a iamb 

■..'. ferocioos i 
their hazard countenai """• 

Their appearance appalled him. ' 

: ..ll '' The \ault Wfti large ; the J | 

which the man held icsreelj e nli g hte ne d ' 

!. tad loft the other end in pitchy dark: 
man then led the clergyman to 

w |,, I upon souk 

R ,, ohoiera. H< "'" ,m " 

in;n. OStOTt 

, .. :\ limb, his eye Mink and hoi- 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 233 

low, and his skin exhibiting the blue-black hue at- 
tendant on this awful malady when there is scarce a 

hope of recover)'. Mr. T shook in every 

limb ; he had been used to patients in this dreadful 
malady, but here was one in such a state as he had 
never before witnessed. ' Did you wish to see me V 
he asked the dying man. ' I did,' he replied, in a 
clear and distinct tone. ' Why do you wish to see 
me?' 'Because,' said the man, 'some short time 
ago, T wandered into your church, and heard you read 
what I wish you to read to me again ; I want to hear 
it again before I die. ! it has never left my mind ; 
night and day it sounded in my ear. I thought I 
could hide myself from God, but the darkness hideth 
not from him ; he has found me out, he has laid his 
hand heavily upon me, and soon shall I appear be- 
fore him, covered over with my crimes. And did 
not I hear you say, sir, that God would slay the 
wicked — that he would say : Depart from me, ye 
bloody men 1 O God ! I have sinned against thee ; 
there can be no hope for a wretch like me.' Every 
nerve in his body seemed convulsed with agony ; and 
he fixed his eye eagerly on the clergyman, waiting 
anxiously to hear again that portion of Scripture 
which had first convinced him of his sin. ' Tell me 
some verse that will bring it to my memory,' said the 
clergyman. ' O, it told me,' said the dying man, 
' that God knew my down-sitting and my up-rising ; 
that he understood my thoughts ; that he compassed 
my path and my lying down, and was acquainted 
with ail my ways ; and there was not a word in my 



TEE. 

tongue but Cod knew it all Rial if I could 

climb into heaven be was there ; if I went down to 

The clergyman then knew 

that it « mi that had carried convic- 

theft this 
, taking 
I 
" 'O! ui.it is it, tii.it is it.' sail 
voice ; ' than 
The elergymao then said : ' The blood of the Lord 
Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.' ' This is a 
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that 
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' 
44 4 To save sinners !' said he ; * but O ! not such 
have been.' ' Yos, such 
. \ 111:111. ' Hear what comforts 

• It' any in;in mii, we have ao advocal 
1 iter, Jesus Christ the righteous, and Im 
propitiation for our sins.' Hear what I 

now and let us reason together ; thou. 
sins he as scarlet, they thai! he as white as snow; 
though they he red like crimson, they shall be as 
I low ' how !' said the in ' what 

moil I do to be saved P ' Believe in ti. 

Christ, end thou ahaJt be saved. Your p:i~ 

will not condemn you ; Christ is able to save to the 

Qttermosl all thai eome unto Cod by hun.' T 

■ 1 out ln> hands, with upr 
plortng 1 il to a poor sii 

hfl tiiiiiily uttereil, :ui<l in th:it attitiuie his soul de- 
puted. 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 235 

"The clergyman looked around him ; the light of, 
the glorious Gospel can illumine even this dungeon 
of darkness and horror, thought he ; on him who lay 
in darkness and the shadow of death has this light 
now shined. The rest of the men had kept at a dis- 
tance, from the idea that something mysterious must 
pass between a dying soul and his spiritual instructor, 
which others were not to hear, ' corrupted,' as their 
minds were, ' from the simplicity that is in Christ.' 
But he determined not to depart without a word of 
exhortation to them ; and coming forward in the 
midst of them, he spoke to them of the awful state in 
which they were sunk ; invited them also to come to 
Jesus, and obtain from him a full and free pardon 
for all their past offences. 'You know not, my fel- 
low-sinners,' said he, ' how soon each of you may be 
summoned, like that poor man, before the awful bar 
of God. Cholera is sweeping this city, from one end 
to the other ; there is contagion in that corpse ; I 
know not but this may be the last time I may have 
an opportunity of declaring the Gospel to poor per- 
ishing sinners. I am a dying man, addressing dying 
men ; but, O ! let the love of Christ, who poured out 
his blood upon the cross to save lost sinners, speak 
to you, and urge you to quit this pit of destruction, a 
faint type of that hell to which sin must lead you ; 
return to habits of industry ; nothing but idleness and 
crime would have brought you into this place.' ' It 
is true,' said the man who led him there, ' it was 
crime brought us here — we are a gang of robbers. 
Our lives, sir, are in your hands ; but, as a minister 



Ml ! ARACTFR. 

iepend on yoor not betra\ 
could w id trust 

Let him that 
Either let him labour, working with his hands that 

ia good, that he may have to giv< 
needeth.' Farewell ; we may never meet ■ 

this world; but a time will come when Wl 

-it! (>' on that awful day, may 1 find that 
this message of mercy has been blessed to all your 
souls !' The man conducted the until he 

was past the dark narrow street, and could find his 
lily to his home, when he • ith sen- 

sations of astonishment at the strange and almost 
romantic scene he had just witnessed ; it aim 
peared to him like a dream ; but he blessed God for 
sending him hi Gos- 

pel to that poor sinner — to proclaim liberty to this 
I bond-alare of Satan. :ie, ' is 

not this a brand plueked out oft!; 

" This is no fictitious narrative ; it is truth. 
ever romantic it may seem. What an important tes- 
timony doea it afford to tii' 

when applied to the heart by the Holy Spirit ! Tho 
simple word ofGod, as read in the ordinary 
of his Church, was 'quick and powerful; it was 
sharper than any two-ed red sword ; it ; 

under of soul ami spirit, and was a dis- 
cernei of the thoughts and intents of the heart ;' like 

what was said by the Samaritan woman, it told this 
robber ' all that he ever did.' He had wandered into 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 237 

the church by accident, as he thought ; but was it 
chance ? No. May we not hope that this poor man 
was one of those rare instances of a mercy which has 
no bounds, extended at the last hour, so that none 
need despair % An arrow of conviction was sent into 
his heart, which rankled there till a messenger was 
sent to speak peace to his soul, and pour the Gospel 
balm into his wounded conscience ; and He who has 
all hearts in his hands, so disposed the hearts of his 
ferocious and hardened companions in guilt, as to in- 
duce them to consent to have the clergyman sent for 
whom he wished to see, although it exposed them- 
selves to danger, and put their lives, as they said, in 
his hands." 

DANGER AND DELIVERANCE. 
Nearly a hundred years ago, a Moravian mission- 
ary went to Guiana, in South America, to form a 
mission among the natives living there. These 
poor heathen were very unwilling to have him 
amongst them, and he could persuade but one of 
them to live with him. After some time his only 
companion was taken ill ; and the Indian doctors 
who passed by told him he would never recover if 
he continued to live with the white man, who was 
under the power of the devil, and would likewise 
soon turn sick. Influenced by these representations, 
the poor fellow, as soon as he got a little better, for- 
sook his teacher, and returned to his own country- 
men. But though the missionary was left alone, 
without either friend or companion, even in this so- 



238 

titode he was happy and conn :. 
says he, " was alw comforted me 

with his gracious presence ; so I ruly say 

I spent my time in happiness and peace." 

The Indian ' strong suspicions against 

him, and BlfW formed the design of putting him to 
death. St was informed of his danger, but his 
mind was kept in perfect peace. One day, bow- 

H he sal at his frugal meal, about fifty 
faraheese landed from tin ir eanoes, and surrounded 
his cottage, intending to kill him. Some of them 
were armed with swords, others with tomahawks. 
This was truly an alarming sight ; nevertheless, he 
went out and bade them welcome. They then asked 
him, through the medium of an interpreter, who gave 
him liberty to build on their land. To this he re- 
plied, " The governor." inquired what 
design he had m mrming thither; to which 
swercd, M I have brethren on tl :■ 
great waters, who, having htard that 
Indians on this ri\ t 
from the great affection they felt towards vou, sent 

'•11 you of ti, what he has 

done to save poo." The chief then said, " Have 
vou iirvrr h.ard that the Indiana intend to kill you »" 
Marline, "hut I cannot believe 
M \ On have amoi irho lived with me ; 

and ho ran tell yon thai I am the In. nd of the In- 

ihis the chief re] 

heard so; :1 different sort of a 

< 'hnstian from white people in general." Ti 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 239 

sionary then said, " I am your friend ; how is it that 
you come to kill me ?" " We have done wrong," 
answered the chief. Every countenance now altered, 
and the Indians quickly dispersed. The chief, how- 
ever, remained behind, behaving in a very friendly 
manner, and left him a supply of cassava. Thus 
the missionary, by his magnanimous yet temperate 
conduct, warded off the blow which threatened his 
life, and converted his enemies into friends. 

FROM THE CLOSET TO THE PULPIT. 
It was the constant endeavour of the Rev. S. Kil- 
pin to go from the closet to the pulpit. His expres- 
sion was, " I need to have my heart warmed by the 
Sun of Righteousness ere I address the hearts of 
others." He often remarked, " I have preached 
with self-application to-day, and have been humbled 
in the dust, or have derived divine light from the 
subject presented to view, if no one else is bene- 
fited." Frequently he exclaimed, after four or five 
public services on the Sabbath-day, " Never does 
the blood of Christ appear so valuable as at the 
close of such a Sabbath. In this fountain I bathe. 
Lord, pardon the sins of my holy duties." 

ROBERT HALL AND HIS SOCLKIAN" HEARER. 
The first sermon which the late Rev. Robert Hall 
preached at Cambridge, after he became a settled 
pastor, was in confirmation of the atonement. Im- 
mediately after the service, one of the congregation, 
who had followed Mr. Robinson through all his 



changes of sentiment, until he washm. 

-pa rates the colder 
veslrv, 

• !r. Hall, thi 

r, or the doei 
that the 4 
will unly do lor <• 

suit th. : ing on the bi 

the grai 

your concessions. The doctrine will not suit peo- 
ple of any age if it he not true} and if it be true, it 
II equally important at every age. .So that you will 
hear it tgaifl it' \<>u hear ; 

REV. .101 IX WE] 
Mr. John \\ elsh n of Josias x 

of Temple-patriek in Inland, and gi 

<l was, 
consequently, great-grandson of the . 
former, John Knox, 
of Iron^ray, from u h( nee he w 
but, though compelled to I e of Ins stated 

! labours, .Mr. Welsh did not remain idle; he 
ingal field mi • 
ami frequently, notwithstanding all the edicts passed 
him, returned and preach 
. in his old pariah, and baptized all the elul- 
dren. S more remarkable than I 

capes which tins faithful and undaunted Qii 
met with on theee occasions. He was pre- 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 241 

Pentland, and at Bothwell Bridge ; and at the latter 
place he took an active but unsuccessful part in en- 
deavouring to allay the animosities about the Indul- 
gence, and counselling the younger and more violent 
leaders to adopt moderate measures. " He was," 
says Kirkton, " a godly, meek, humble man, and a 
good popular preacher ; but the boldest undertaker 
(adventurer) that ever I knew a minister in Christ's 
Church, old or late ; for notwithstanding all the 
threatenings of the State, the great price of j£500 
set upon his head, the spite of bishops, the diligence 
of all blood-hounds, he maintained his difficult task 
of preaching upon the mountains of Scotland many 
times to many thousands for near twenty years, and 
yet was kept always out of his enemies' hand. It 
is well known that bloody Claverhouse, upon intelli- 
gence that he was lurking in some secret place, 
would ride forty miles in a winter night, yet, when 
he came to the place, he always missed his prey. 
I have known Mr. Welsh ride three days and two 
nights without sleep, and preach upon a mountain 
at midnight on one of the nights. He had for some 
time a dwelling-house near Tweedside, and some- 
times, when Tweed was strongly frozen, he preached 
in the middle of the river, that either he might shun 
the offence of both nations, or that two kingdoms 
might dispute his crime." After all his dangers, he 
died peaceably in his bed in London, on the 9th of 
January, 1681. 

The intrepidity and self-possession of this worthy 
minister, to which, no doubt, under Providence, he 
16 



T R. 

f his escapes, are 
following anecdote : — On one occasion, being pur- 
ith unrelenting rigour, he was quite at a loss 
where to nV»> ; but <! 

field-preachers in general, and 
particular, though he had never seen Mr. 

H. was kindly I In the course 

is mentioned, and the diffi- 
culty of getting hold of him. " T am sen*. 
! know wht : • 
to preach to-morrow, and will give you the rebel by 
the hand. 1 ' The gentleman, overjoyed at th;~ 
agreed to accompany his informant next morning. 
When they arrived, the congregation i 
the minister and his host. He desired the gentle- 
man lo sit down on the ehair, at which, to his utter 
: the previous night stood 
and preached. Daring lh 

I much affected ; and at t: 
Welsh, according to his promise, i; 
hand, he said, " Vow said you were sent to 
bend refeala, and I. a rebellions sinner, have been 
bended this day." 
There is only one instance record) 
Welsh spoke in a prophetic or fon 
hut it is one of the most reinai 
with. A profligate youth at the It 
Andrews, who bad i 
threw something at him in moc 
him. Mr v 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 243 

multitude, which was very large, said, " I know not 
who has put this public affront on a servant of Jesus 
Christ ; but be he who he may, I am persuaded 
there will be more present at his death than are hear- 
ing me preach this day !" It turned out to be a son 
of Sir James Stanfield, of Newmilns, near Hadding- 
ton ; and, strange to say, some years after, this un- 
happy youth was executed for the murder of his 
own father. 

REV. SAMUEL WESLEY. 
The Rev. Samuel Wesley, the father of the cele- 
brated John Wesley, being strongly importuned, by 
the friends of James II., to support the measures of 
the court in favour of popery, with promises of pre- 
ferment, absolutely refused even to read the king's 
declaration ; and though surrounded with courtiers, 
soldiers, and informers, he preached a bold and 
pointed discourse against it, from these words : — 
" If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to de- 
liver us out of thy hand, O king. But if not, be it 
known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy 
gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast 
set up." 

MR. OUSELEY AND LORD . 

When I last resided in Dublin, says Mr. Reiley, a 
pious friend of mine was exceedingly anxious about 
the salvation of a noble friend of his. He frequently 
complained to me that he could get no clergyman to 
go with him and visit his dear old friend, Lord ~ 3 



ARAf TER. 

to speak to him about bis soul, although on the very 
borders of eternity. " I bad ■ promise," be said 

one day, " from Mr. B., (an em 

but six months have elapsed, and he has B 

filled his pron,. 

ofhisloi >, will nobody c -to see 

i lord ! Til tell you what! 1 
eon : he's in town : htll come with me." The gen- 
tleman seemed quite relic ': to Mr. Ouse- 

1 took him in his carriage to the ma;- 
the noble Lord. The oh I being 

briefly hinted by the gentleman, Mr. < i 
very affectionately ami respectfully urged n] 
lordship the indispensable 
an eternal world. " Mr. < 
ship, " public 
have no time tor tin 
M But, my lord, we | 
should be prepared for that inevitable i 
lordship said, "And what am 1 

To which he replied, " 
Testament : it contains the will of the Lon! 
Christ, and tells you what j lord." 

•• But, Mr. <>.. there are many thing! in that book 
which I can understand, and that 1 admire. I must 

. however, there are oilier thii I 

Aith." "All' my lord, that will nr\ 
What if your lordship had a case submitted I 
by an individual for an opinion ; and ail 
nion had beta drawn up with the utmost care and 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 245 

legal accuracy, he should say, ' Why, my lord, there 
is part of this I like pretty well, but with other parts 
I cannot agree :' what would you say, my lord V 
il Ah ! I perceive your meaning ; we must receive 
the whole as a revelation from God." " Exactly 
so, my lord. Take up that book ; believe what it 
says, and do what it commands, and you will, my 
lord, be prepared, by His mercy, for the hour of 
death, and for that day when the great Judge shall 
appear." 

" And as he reasoned of righteousness, temper- 
ance, and a judgment to come, Felix trembled." 
The nobleman expressed his feelings of gratitude to 
Mr. Ouseley, and invited him and his friend to dinner. 
They obeyed ; but Mr. Ouseley, not losing sight of 
the primary object of his visit, treated his lordship 
with a faithfulness to which he had been wholly un- 
accustomed. Whether any beneficial result followed 
we cannot tell — we can only hope. 

" The day of judgment shall declare." 

REV. R. CECIL. 
" Sometimes," says the late Rev. R. Cecil, in his 
valuable " Remains," " we have a painful part to 
act with sincere Christians who have been carried 
too much into the world. I was called in to visit 
such a man. ■ I find no comfort,' he said ; ' God 
veils his face from me. Everything around me is 
dark and uncertain.' I did not dare to act the flat- 
terer ; I said, ' Let us look faithfully into the state 
of things. I should have been surprised if you had 



246 MINISTERIAL CHARACI1R. 

not felt thus. I believe you to be sincere 
ling evinces your 
lung in God, I should have con 
either deceived or a deceive! 

:ta in his usual order, how could you 
expect to feel otherwise, on the approach of 

You have driven hard a: 
your spirit I: 

utiments, your conversation have bee:. 
spirit of the world. And have you any reason to 
expect the repose of conscience and the clear evi- 
dence that await the man who has walked and lived 
in close friendship with God ! You know that what 
■ true.' 
M Hii wile interrupted me, by assuring me that he 
had been an excellent man. ' - 
dving penitent, k it is all true.' " 

ANDREW MELVILLE AXI> 
In a season of great peril to tin I 

deputation of the clergj waiu 
\ 1., at the palace of Falkland. . 
vhire. Tin v were admitted to a private audience, 
When thfl celebrated Andrew Melville thus boldly 
and nol.lv addressed the king :«— M S 
alwavs humbly reverence your maj.>ty in public; 
but since we have this occaaion t<> be with your 
JT011 are brought mio 
extrem *■ of v,,ul ' ll1 '' :m,i crown, :ilul 

along with v.ui the country ami the Chureii 
m to wreck, for not telling you t: 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 247 

and giving you faithful counsel, we must discharge 
our duty, or else be traitors both to Christ and you. 
Therefore, sir, as divers times before I have told 
you, so now again I must tell you, there are two 
kings and two kingdoms in Scotland : there is 
King James the king of the commonwealth, and 
there is Christ Jesus the Head of the Church, whose 
subject James the Sixth is, and of whose kingdom 
he is not a king, nor a lord, nor a head, but a mem- 
ber. We will yield to you your place, and give to 
you all due obedience ; but again I say, you are not 
the head of the Church ; you cannot give us that 
eternal life which we seek for even in this world, 
and you cannot deprive us of it. Permit us then 
freely to meet in the name of Christ, and to attend 
to the interests of that Church of which you are a 
chief member." 

REY. DAVID DICKSON AND THE ROBBERS. 

On one occasion, when riding between Edinburgh 
aud Glasgow, he was attacked by robbers. Instead 
of giving way to his fears, Mr. Dickson boldly ad- 
monished them of their danger in regard to their 
souls, and concluded by earnestly exhorting them to 
try some other profession, more safe and creditable 
than that in which they were engaged. Some years 
after this, when quietly seated in the College of 
Edinburgh, he was surprised by receiving the pre- 
sent of a pipe of wine, accompanied with a mes- 
sage, that the gentleman who sent it requested the 



248 ier. 

pleasure of drinking a glass of <h him 

MM was grant- 
ed ; and, in the course of conversation, the gen; 
after finding that th< 

tion of having seen him before, informed him that he 
was one of the robbers who had attacked him, — 
that he had been seriously impressed by his admo- 
nition, — and that, having adopted his ad 
prospered in foreign trade, and now came to thank 
his benefactor. 



WIOUF. 

At one period of his life, this eminent reformer's 
health was considerably impaired by the labour of 
producing his numerous eompot the ex- 

citements inseparable from the restless host:! 
his enemies. Being Wppoead to be in dangerous 
cireumstances, his old antagon:.- iicants, 

conceived it next to impossible that so notorious a 
heretic should find himself near a future world with- 
out the most serious apprehensions of divine 
Whilst they declared that the dogmas of the n 
had arisen from tin' suggestions of the greai enemy, 
they anticipated some adrantagee to then 
oould tb<- dying eolpril be induced to make any r*> 
eantation of his published opinions. Wid 
in ( >\i'urd when this sickw 

and confmed him to his ohamber. From the four 
orders of friars, four doctors, who wen 

i e gravely deputed to wait on th< 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 249 

piring enemy ; and to these the same number of civil 
officers, called senators of the city, and aldermen 
of the wards, were added. When this embassy en- 
tered the apartment of the rector of JLutter worth, he 
was seen stretched on his bed. Some kind wishes 
were first expressed as to his better health, and the 
blessing of a speedy recovery. It was presently 
suggested, that he must be aware of the many 
wrongs which the whole mendicant brotherhood had 
sustained from his attacks, especially in his ser- 
mons, and in certain of his writings ; and as deafh 
was now apparently about to remove him, it w r as 
sincerely hoped that he would not conceal his peni- 
tence, but distinctly revoke whatever he had pre- 
ferred against them to their injury. The sick man 
remained silent and motionless until this address 
was concluded. He then beckoned his servants to 
raise him in his bed ; and, fixing his eyes on the 
persons assembled, summoned all his remaining 
strength, as he exclaimed aloud, " I shall not die, 
but live ; and shall again declare the evil deeds of 
the friars." The doctors and their attendants 
now hurried from his presence, and they lived to 
feel the truth of his saying ; nor will it be easy to 
imagine another scene more characteristic of the 
parties composing it, or of the times in which it oc- 
curred. 

REV. H. MARTYR. 

When the Rev. Henry Martyn was at collega, he 
was called to visit a family in great distress, on ac- 



ILR. 

count of the expected <!• husband and 

lather. »t the agony « : 

grief should add to the distress of th< 

moved to another house, where Marty u found 
a gownsman reading a play to them, with a view to 
• insolation. He very properly rebuked him 
with some seventy lor this great impropriety, and 
was 1< 4 to fear, from the manner in w 
proof v, results 

might follow. But mark the goodm 
blessing the means employed lor the advancement 
of his glory. When this gownsman a<_ r ain saw 
Marty n, it was to thank him for his faithful admo- 
nition, which proved the means of a saving change 
of heart ; and these two holy men laboured together 
in India in extending the knowledge of the Lord 
Jesus. 

KKV. MK. BERRIDG1. 

As soon as the late Mr. Berridgi 
began to preach in a different strain froi 
bouring clergy, it was observed they found them- 
selves hurt at the emptiness of their own churches, 
and the fulness of his. The squire of tin 
too, was much offended ; he did not like to - 
man) strangers, and be so incommoded, and i 
roared to turn Mr. Berridge out of his Una 
complaint to his bishop. Mr. Berrid 
for by his lordship, b< tted in the following 

manner: — "Well, Berridge, they tell me you go 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 251 

about preaching out of your own parish ; did I insti- 
tute you to any other than Everton W " No, my 
lord." "Well, but you go and preach where you 
have no right so to do." " It is true, my lord; I 
remember seeing five or six clergymen out of their 
own parishes playing at bowls." "Pho!" said his 
lordship, " if you don't desist, you will very likely 
be sent to Huntingdon jail." " As to that, my lord, 
I have no greater liking to a jail than other people ; 
but I had rather go there with a good conscience, 
than be at liberty with a bad one." Here his lord- 
ship, looking hard at Berridge, gravely assured 
him " he was beside himself, and that in a few 
months time he would be either better or worse." 
" Then," said he, " my lord, you may make your- 
self easy in this business ; for if I am better, you 
must suppose I shall desist of my own accord ; and 
if worse, you need not send me to Huntingdon jail, 
as I shall be provided with an accommodation in 
bedlam." 

PASTOR OBERLIK 

M. Oberlin was appointed minister of the Ban de 
la Roche in the year 1767 : he was then twenty- 
seven years of age. His parish was a very rude . 
and ignorant district, secluded from the rest of the 
province. His predecessor, an excellent individual, 
had commenced the execution of several plans 
which were likely to improve the moral and reli- 
gious state of his parish. M. Oberlin determined 



252 MINISTERIAL CHARACTER. 

to carn r on and extend these measures as far as he 
could, to the great satisfaction of those who had ap- 
proved them ; but the greater part of the inhabitants 
were resolved to oppose the designs of their excel- 
lent pastor, and laid a plan to waylay him, and treat 
him with such severity as might effectually deter 
him from continuing his admonitions. 

Their pastor was informed of this intention, and 
that an approaching Lord's day was fixed for the 
perpetration of their wicked design. On that day 
he took for his text the words of our Lord : — M Re- 
sist not evil : but whosoever shall smite thee on thy 
right cheek, turn to him the other also." In the 
course of his sermon he spoke of the Christian pa- 
tience with which we ought to suffer injuries. 

After service the conspirators assembled at the 
house of one of their number, and were probably 
amusing themselves with the idea that their minis- 
ter would himself soon have to put in practice the 
lessons he had just given. While conferring upon the 
execution of their plan, the door suddenly opened, 
and, to their great astonishment, M. Oberlin himself 
stood in the midst of the assembly. " Here am I, 
my friends," said he, with a calmness which in- 
spired even the most violent with respect : " I am 
aware of your intentions with regard to me. You 
intend to beat me, and to chastise me for acting in a 
manner which yon disapprove. If I have broken 
the rules of conduct which I have laid down I 
to follow, then punish me. I would nun-h rather 
give myself up to you, than have you guilty of the 



FIDELITY AND CHRISTIAN COURAGE. 253 

baseness of lying in wait for me." This simple ad- 
dress produced an immediate effect. The peasants, 
ashamed of themselves, entreated his pardon, and 
promised that they would not again doubt his affec- 
tion for them. From that period he was enabled to 
pursue his benevolent designs, and, eventually, a 
most pleasing change was effected. 






YAKUTS METHODS OF USEFUL 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 

BTRKKT PREACHING OF A 

CLERGYMAN. 
Ix the autumn of 1806, Messrs. Alcorn and Bell, 
Wesleyan Missionaries, as at other times, preached 
in the streets of Naas, a principal town in the county 
of Kildare, (Ireland.) on which occasion the Rev. 
John Isaac Harrison, the clergyman of the 
and master of the diocesan school, was among their 
hearers. Mr. II., a gentleman of accomplished 
mind, was possessed of more than common talents, 
and ranked among the most celebrated pulpit advo- 
cates on behalf of charitable institutions, m the me- 
tropolis, previous to the days of Kirwan. Mr. Al- 
corn's subject was founded on Matt, ix, 3" 
11 The harvest truly is plenteous," &c. The word 
of God was accompanied to the heart of Mr. IT. ; ho 
fell thai with all bis endowments he was an unpar- 
doned sinner before God, and must, in order to be 
Bared, enter into the kingdom of heaven as a little 
child. He " was not disobedient to the heavenlv 

vision." He came forward to Mr. Alcorn, and, 
under deep emotion, aaid, " I am a clergyman of the 
Established Church ; but alas! though I have been 
a minister for twenty rears, I am OM oftDOM idlers 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 255 

whom I have heard described in the sermon." He 
then kindly invited the preachers to his house ; and 
after Mr. Bell had preached a second sermon, they 
accompanied him home. A large company of ladies 
and gentlemen were engaged at the card-table when 
they entered the drawing-room. Mr. H. introduced 
Messrs. Alcorn and Bell as Methodist preachers, 
whom he had heard in the street. The cards were 
soon laid aside ; and, after a short interval of silence, 
a reasonable conversation was entered on, and the 
Bible introduced. Mr. Alcorn was requested by Mr. 
H. to sing the hymn by which he had been so deep- 
ly affected in the street : — 

>' From Salem's gate, advancing slow, 
What object meets my eyes 1 
What means this majesty of wo ; 
What mean these mingled cries V &c. 

During the singing of the hymn every face was 
suffused with tears, and every heart heaved with con- 
trition. It was sung a second time with like effect. 
While Mr. Alcorn engaged in pra}'er, the penitent 
spirit of Mr. Harrison laid hold on Christ as his only 
Saviour ; he gave up every plea beside, 

" Lord, I am lost, but thou hast died ;" 

and received the witness of his acceptance with God 
through Christ Jesus ; and, to the glory of the grace 
of God, this delightful consciousness he retained until 
he exchanged mortality for life. The whole family 
soon participated in his joy, and became heirs to- 
gether of the grace of life. His parish felt the bene- 



256 VARIOUS 3IETHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

fit of this happy change, in his future pious exertions. 
Mr. Harrison's career, from this time, was short. 
In about two years and a half after this scene, he 
caught a fever in visiting one of his parishioners, and 
in three weeks died in the full triumph of faith. 

CONVERSION OF REV. MR. >~OBLK 
Rev. Mr. Noble, who shared the missionary la- 
bours of Mr. Ouseley for seven or eight successive 
years, was one of Mr. O's. spiritual children. The 
interesting circumstances of his conversion are thus 
given by Mr. Reilly : — 

A short time after their appointment to the Irish 
mission, Messrs. Graham and Ouseley, with their 
Bibles in their hands, their black caps on, rode into 
the town of Fintona, and opened their great commis- 
sion to surrounding multitudes. Mr. Ouseley was 
the preacher on the occasion ; his text was Rev. 
vi, 17, " For the great day of his wrath is come ; and 
who shall be able to stand V All heard with the 
deepest attention and many tears. A youth, about 
fifteen years of age, was by curiosity drawn to the 
spot, and was deeply struck with the appearance of 
that extraordinary man, while tears, mingled with 
perspiration, rolled down his face. At the conclu- 
sion of his discourse, and just as he was riding away 
through the crowd, he raised his voice, an. I vehe- 
mently cried out, " O Fintona, Fintona ! remember 
that on the great day which I have been end. 
log to describe, you will recti] feo mind that a man, 
Bitting on his horse in the street, waned you to pet- 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 257 

pare to meet your God." The lad referred to was 
overwhelmed with a sense of his sin and guilt, cried 
earnestly for mercy, and soon obtained forgiveness, 
and a sense of his acceptance through the atoning 
blood. 

FRUIT SEEN AFTER MANY DATS. 
About the middle of the seventeenth century, the 
Rev. John Flavel, the author of many excellent 
works, was settled at Dartmouth, where his labours 
were greatly blessed. 

Mr. Flavel's manner was remarkably affectionate 
and serious, often exciting very powerful emotions 
in his hearers. On one occasion he preached from 
these words, " If any man love not the Lord 
Jesus Christ, let him be anathema, maranatha." 
The discourse was unusually solemn, particularly 
the explanation of the words anathema, mara- 
natha, — " cursed with a curse, cursed of God, with 
a bitter and grievous curse." At the conclusion 
of the service, when Mr. Flavel arose to pronounce 
the benediction, he paused, and said, "How shall I 
bless this whole assembly, when every person in it, 
who loveth not the Lord Jesus Christ, is anathema, 
maranatha V The solemnity of this address deeply 
affected the audience, and one gentleman, a person 
of rank, was so overcome by his feelings, that he fell 
senseless to the floor. 

In the congregation was a lad named Luke Short, 
then about fifteen years old, and a native of Dart- 
mouth. Shortly after the event just narrated, he 
11 



253 VARIOUS METHODS OF r.-LMLN: 

entered into the seafaring line, and sailed to Ameri- 
ca, where he passed the rest of his life. 

Mr. Short's life was lengthened much beyond the 
usual term. When a hundred years old, he had suf- 
ficient strength to work on his farm, and his mental 
faculties were very little impaired. Hitherto he had 
lived in carelessness and sin ; lie was now a " sinner 
a hundred years old," and apparently ready to M die 
accursed." But one day as he sat in his field, he 
busied himself in reflecting on his past life ; recur- 
ring to the events of his youth, his memot \ 
upon Mr. Flavel's discourse above alluded to, a con- 
siderable part of which he was able to recollect. 
The affectionate earnestness of the preacher's man- 
ner, the important truths which he delivered, and the 
effects produced on the congregation, were brought 
fresh to his mind. The blessing of God accompanied 
his meditations : he felt that he had not "loved the 
Lord Jesus Christ ;" and feared the dreadful u ana- 
thema :" conviction was followed by repentance, and 
at length this aged sinner obtained peace through the 
blood of atonement, and was " found in the way 
of righteousness." He joined the Congregational 
Church in Middleborough, and to the day of his 
death, which took place in his hundred and sixteenth 
year, gave pleasing evidence of piety. 

In this case, eighty-five years passed away, after 
the seed was sown, before it sprang up and brought 
forth fruit. Let the ministers of Christ be encou- 
raged ; " in due season they shall reap, if th< 
nut." 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, 259 

"DOST THOTX WELL TO BE ANGRY?" 
It is related of a clergyman, distinguished alike for 
his eloquence and exemplary piety, that having an 
appointment to preach in a certain village, he stop- 
ped on Saturday evening at the house of one of his 
early acquaintances, who was a resident of the vil- 
lage. To his surprise, he found his old friend a 
distiller and vender of ardent spirits, and exceeding- 
ly bitter against the temperance cause. He could 
not refrain, all the evening, from giving vent to his 
feelings against all the temperance men, and every 
temperance movement. The next day the preacher 
took his text from Jonah, " Dost thou well to be an- 
gry ■?" He showed what good was doing in the days 
in which we live, and especially in the temperance 
cause ; how that cause was drying up the fountains 
of pauperism, and crime, and brutality ; saving thou- 
sands on thousands from the drunkard's path, and re- 
storing many a lost man to society and his family ; 
transforming the most degraded and abject beings in 
the community, into useful, respectable, and wealthy 
citizens. And as he enumerated one blessing after 
another, he would cast his eye down upon his friend, 
and ask, " Dost thou well to be angry V It was 
more than the poor man could bear ; shame and con- 
fusion were his. He hid his face from the congre- 
gation, and as soon as possible made his way from 
the church, and from that day no man has been a 
stronger advocate for the temperance reform, or 
made greater pecuniary sacrifices in its behalf. He 



2G0 VARIOUS METHn; 

will be rewarded a thousand fold, we doubt not, l>y 
an approving conscience, through life and in death, 
and the blessing of Providence will smile upon his 
children to the third and fourth generation. 

REV. JOHN SMITH. 
On one occasion, when a remarkably good influence 
appeared to rest on the congregation, and several 
persons were penitentially seeking pardon, Mr. Smith 
remarked a woman standing near the door, and look- 
ing at what was going forward with much apparent 
curiosity and surprise. Her garb indicated extreme 
poverty, and it afterward appeared that she gained a 
miserable subsistence, partly by gathering and sel- 
ling water cresses. She had atteuded the chapel a 
few times before, but her ignorance was extreme. 
Mr. S. went up to her and said, " Woman, get down 
on your knees and begin to pray." She immediately 
knelt down and asked, u What shall I say, sir V* 
" Ask God to give you true repentance," was the re- 
ply. The poor woman for the first time opened her 
mouth in prayer ; — " Lord, give me true repentam-e." 
She had not long uttered this petition, before it was 
in a measure answered, and she came under the gra- 
cious influence which was in the meeting. She be- 
gan to tremble, and with great anxiety inquired, 
" What shall I do now ] what shall 1 pray 
"Ask God to have mercy upon you," said Mr. S. 
" Lord, have mercy upon me, a poor sinner. 
she, "a guilty sinner !" Who need be told I 
quel ' She was that night clearly converted, and 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 201 

filled with the love of God. When Mr. Smith was 
about to leave Windsor, she came, with many others, 
to look once more on him who had proved her best 
friend, and so deep was her emotion, that when he 
extended his hand to her, she fell down on her knees, 
filled with a gratitude which she could not express. 
Mr. S. was deeply affected, and no doubt that mo- 
ment amply repaid him for all his labours in that 
circuit. 

A similar incident occurred at a prayer-meeting on 
another occasion. He observed an old man looking 
on with much surprise. " Well," said Mr. S., "do 
you intend to leave off your sins and be saved to- 
night V " Why, no," replied the other, with great 
coolness, " I think I will wait till next time." Had 
this been his real design, his policy would have been 
immediately to have left the place. He remained, 
however, and presently the hand of God came upon 
him. He cried aloud in anguish and horror, and in 
a short time the Lord gave him "the garment of 
praise for • the spirit of heaviness." About twelve 
months since he died in peace. The following inci- 
dent also, which belongs to the same class of facts, 
deserves insertion here : — A young lady of Frome, 
who was very ill, expressed a strong desire to see 
Mr. S. Her state of weakness, however, was such, 
that it was with difficulty her friends were prevailed 
on to comply with her wishes. At length he was 
admitted to visit her, and he had the happiness of 
leading her into the enjoyment of the peace which 
passeth all understanding. For two or three days 



2G2 VARIOUS METHODS Ol ;.S9. 

she retained the assuranco of her acceptance, and 
her spirit then returned to God. Shortly aft- 
her sister, who was religiously disposed, re n 
to a pious female, that she feared Mr. Smith 
had hastened the death of her deceased relative. 
The person to whom this observation was made, re- 
plied, that if this was her feeling, she would recom- 
mend her to go to Mr. S. and express it to him, at 
the same time offering to accompany her. They 
went, and found him at home. He immediately ad- 
dressed the young lady on the subject of personal 
salvation. " Your sister," he said, " has gone to 
heaven ; are you preparing to follow her 1" She 
was much affected, and when he inquired if she 
wished to obtain the present pardon of her rii 
replied in the affirmative. They then united in 
prayer, and before she had the opportunity of stating 
the object of her visit, the light of God's countenance 
broke upon her soul, and she was filled with un- 
speakable delight. 

REV. MR N . 



The Rev. Mr. N. one Sabbath morning opened his 
Bible, to mark the passage he had been studying 
throughout the week, and from which he intended to 
deliver his discourse that day ; but, to his great sur- 
prise, he could not find the passage ; for neither 
words nor text could he recollect. He endeavoured 
to recall the subject to memory ; but all to no client. 
While thinking how he should be confounded before 
the congregation, another passage darted into his 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 263 

mind with peculiar energy. He accordingly preach- 
ed from it, and during the discourse, he observed a 
person, apparently in a clerical habit, enter the place, 
and after having heard a little, seemed bathed in 
tears, and never raised his head through the whole 
of the sermon. Mr. N. never had more liberty in 
preaching. In the evening, this person called on 
Mr. N., and after expressing his obligation for the 
sermon he had heard, he added, " Two or three 
years ago, I heard you in such a place, preach upon 
a subject, and ever since I have been under the spirit 
of conviction and bondage. This day I took my 
horse and rode to hear you, and blessed be God, he 
has now given me to see him as my reconciled God 
and Father in Christ Jesus, and has also given me to 
enjoy that liberty wherewith he makes his people 
free." " After some interesting conversation, we 
both," says Mr. N., " began to see the good hand of 
God in this matter, and his good providence in de- 
termining me, in such a remarkable manner, to preach 
upon a subject I had never before proposed, and which 
he had accompanied with such a powerful efficacy. 
To me it was one of my best days, and one which, 
both by him and me, will be remembered through a 
joyful eternity." 

THE SECRET OF POWERFUL PREACHING. 
No sermon preached in New-England has acquired 
greater celebrity than that preached by President 
Edwards, at Enfield, July 8th, 1741, from the words, 
<• Their foot shall slide in due time." " When they 



2G4 VARIOUS METHODS 01 HSS. 

went into the meeting-house the appearance of the 
assembly was thoughtless and vain ; the people hard- 
ly conducted themselves with common dec* 
But as the preacher proceeded, it is certain that the 
audience was so overwhelmed with distress and 
weeping, that the preacher " was obliged to speak to 
the people and desire silence that he might be heard ;" 
and a powerful revival followed. And it is said, that 
a minister in the pulpit, in the agitation of his feel- 
ings, caught the preacher by the skirt, and cried, 
" Mr. E., Mr. E., is not God a God of mercy f and 
that hearers were seen unconsciously bracing them- 
selves against the pillars and the sides of the pews, 
as if they already felt themselves sliding into the bot- 
tomless pit. This fact is often cited simply as a 
proof of President Edwards' peculiar eloquence — the 
more striking, because it was his habit simply to read 
from his notes without gestures. 

But there is another element to be taken into the 
account in explaining this result. The following 
quotation will exhibit it. " While the people of the 
neighbouring towns were in great distress for their 
souls, the inhabitants of Enfield were very secure, 
loose, and vain. A lecture had been appointed there ; 
and the neighbouring people were so affected at the 
thoughtlessness of the inhabitants, and in such tears 
that God would in his righteous judgment pass them 
by, as to be prostrate before him a eniisidrrable pari 
of the evening previous, supplicating mercy for their 
souls. When the time appointed for the lecture 
fame, a number of the neighbouring minister* 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, 265 

ed, and some from a distance ;" a proof of the extent 
of prayerful interest in behalf of the town. Here, 
then, we have the secret of the powerful impression 
of that sermon, in the fact that Christians in the 
churches around, themselves under the unusual in- 
fluences of God's Spirit, were offering their fervent 
prayers for GoaVs blessing on that sermon. 

Another sermon, the immediate results of which 
were perhaps more striking than the results of any 
sermon of modern times, was preached by Mr. Liv- 
ingstone, in Scotland. This, also, is often cited as 
an illustration of the power of eloquence. But in an 
old work by Robert Fleming of Rotterdam, entitled, 
" The Fulfilling of the Scriptures," will be found 
precisely the same explanation of these extraordinary 
results : — " I must also mention that solemn com- 
munion at the kirk of Shotts, June 20, 1630, at which 
time there was so convincing an appearance of God 
and down-pouring of the Spirit, even in an extraordi- 
nary way, that did follow the ordinances ; especial- 
ly that sermon on the Monday, 21st June, with a 
strange unusual motion on the hearers, who in a 
great multitude were there convened of divers ranks, 
that it was known (which I can speak on sure ground) 
near five hundred had at that time a discernible 
change wrought on them, of whom most proved lively 
Christians afterwards : it was the sowing of a seed 
through Clidesdale, so as many of the most eminent 
Christians in that country could date either their con- 
version or some remarkable confirmation in their 
case from that day. And truly this was the more 



266 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

remarkable, that one after much reluctance, 
special and unexpected providence, was called to 
preach that sermon on the Monday, which then was 
not usually practised ; and that night before, by most 
of the Christians there, was spent in prayer ; so that 
the Monday's work as a convincing return of prayer 
might be discerned." Here then is the secret. 
Christians, having received on'the Sabbath an anoint- 
ing from on high, spent the night in that wrestling 
and prevailing prayer which such an anointing alone 
calls into exercise. These two extraordinary facts, 
therefore, are to be cited as examples, not of the power 
of eloquence, but of the power of prayer. 

REV. LEGH RICHMOND. 
The biographer of Mr. Legh Richmond one day sub- 
mitted to him the following question : — M What is the 
scriptural and right way to preach to the Jew- 
know of no scriptural way," he replied, " of preach- 
ing to men, otherwise than as sinners ; and why the 
Jews, whose sins are of so aggravated a nature, 
should be dealt with in a different way, I do not see. 
I would address the Jew as I would address any 
other man ; — that is, as a sinner ; and, till he is con- 
vinced of his sin, he will never believe in a Saviour. 
4 Christ crucified,' is declared to be, ' to the Greeks 
foolishness, and to the Jews a stumbling-block : but 
to them that believe, the power of God and the wis- 
dom of God.' No man will erer fed the power o<* 
God, whether he be Jew or Gentile, till he learn it 
at the foot of the cross." 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 267 

KEV. G. WHITEFIELD. 
An irreligious young man went to hear Mr. White- 
field, who took his text from Matt. iii. 7, " But when 
he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to 
his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers ! 
who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come T" 
"Mr. Whitefield," said the young man, "described 
the Sadducean character ; this did not touch me, — I 
thought myself as good a Christian as any man in 
England, From this he went to that of the Phari- 
sees. He described their exterior decency, but ob- 
served that the poison of the viper rankled in their 
hearts. This rather shook me. At length, in the 
course of his sermon, he abruptly broke off, paused 
for a few moments, then burst into a flood of tears ; 
lifted up his hands and eyes, and exclaimed, ' O my 
hearers ! the wrath to come ! the wrath to come !' 
These words sunk deep into my heart, like lead in 
the waters. I wept, and, when the sermon was 
ended, retired alone. For days and weeks I could 
think of little else. Those awful words would follow 
me wherever I went, ' The wrath to come ! the wrath 
to come !' " The result was, that the young man 
soon after made a public profession of religion, and 
in a short time became a very eminent preacher. 

LOST BOTH TEXT AND SERMON. 
A minister of the Gospel was once preaching in a pub- 
lic hospital. There was an aged woman present, who 
for several weeks had been aroused to attend to the 



268 VARI0U8 METHODS OF I 'SK FULNESS. 

concerns of her soul ; and was now in a state of 
wretchedness, approaching to despair, 
heard the word of God from the lips of his servant, 
Bhe trembled like a criminal in the hands of the exe- 
cutioner. She was an object of pity to all who knew 
her. Formerly she had entertained hope of accept- 
ance with God ; but she had departed from her com- 
forter, and now she was the prey of a guilty con- 
science. A short time after this, the same minister 
was preaching in the same place ; but during the first 
prayer, his text, and the whole arrangement of his 
discourse, went completely from him, he could not 
recollect a single sentence of either ; but Romans 
v. 1, took possession of his whole soul : " Therefore, 
being justified by faith, we have peace with God, 
through our Lord Jesus Christ." He considered 
this a sufficient intimation of his duty, and descanted 
freely on justification by faith, and a sinner's peace 
with God, through the atonement of Christ, h was 
the hour of mercy to this poor distracted woman. 
A ray of divine consolation now penetrated her soul ; 
and she said to the minister, when taking his leave, 
" I am a poor vile sinner, but I think, being justified 
by faith, I begin again to have peace with God 
through our Lord Jesus Christ. I think Christ has 
now got the highest place in my heart : and. 0!'l 
pray God he would always keep him there." 

REV. THOMAS HOOKER. 
The Rev. Thomas Hooker, some time after his set- 
tlement at Hartford, having to preach among his old 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 269 

friends at Newton on a Lord's day in the afternoon, 
his great fame had collected together a vast con- 
course of people. When he came to preach, he 
found himself so entirely at a loss what to say, that, 
after a few shattered attempts to proceed, he was 
obliged to stop and say, that what he had prepared 
was altogether taken from him. He therefore re- 
quested the congregation to sing a psalm while he re- 
tired. Upon his return, he preached a most admira- 
ble sermon with the greatest readiness and propriety. 
After the public service was closed, some of his 
friends speaking to him of the Lord's withholding his 
assistance, he meekly replied, "We daily confess 
that we have nothing, and can do nothing, without 
Christ ; and what if Christ will make this manifest 
before our congregations ? Must we not be humbly 
contented!" 

REVIVAL IN SCOTLAND. 
In the church of Scotland, at Stewarton, there was 
an extensive revival of religion in 1625 ; and the 
minister who details its particulars tells us, that 
" many were so choked and taken by the heart that 
they have been made to fall over, and thus carried 
out of the church ; but have after proved most solid 
and lively Christians." And in consequence of per- 
sons under conviction falling down and crying out, 
the same minister states that the good work was, by 
the ungodly of that town, called " the Stewarton 
sickness." Revivals, in the same country, and con- 
nected with the same church, took place at Shotts, 



270 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

in 1730, Cambuslang, Baldernock, Kirkintilloch, 
Moduli, and at some other places, in 1742, in which 
there are said to have been " outcries," " bodily agi- 
tations," and other appearances of powerful excite- 
ment. And at Kilsyth, about eight years ago, the 
same things have been witnessed in connexion with 
a revival of religion in that town. A minister who 
describes the revival informs us, that on July 23, 
1839, whilst the Rev. William Burns, jr., was 
preaching in his father's church, " he clasped his 
hands, lifted his eyes to heaven, and, in an agony for 
the Holy Ghost to descend upon the people, ex- 
claimed, ' O come ! come !' and being strengthened 
in his faith, ' He is coming ! he is coming !' Sud- 
denly a voice was heard from among the congrega- 
tion, ' He is come ! He is come ! Hallelujah ! Hal- 
lelujah ! Glory be to God !' This ran like elec- 
tricity through the whole assembly of fifteen hun- 
dred persons ; and the scene which succeeded will 
not admit of description. Here was the formalist 
of fifty years standing in the church, shaking from 
head to foot, and crying aloud for mercy. Then the 
cry was heard, ' What must I do to be saved V 
While others were in exultation, exclaiming, ' Be- 
hold, God is become my salvation !' An elder, who 
was endeavouring to direct and comfort his aged 
mother, was seized by the convincing power of the 
Spirit, and with a voice which, had it not been heard 
whence it came, could Bcarcely have been believed 
to be human, cried out, k U Christ, have mercy on 
my soul ! O break this hard heart !' Presently 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 271 

one ran to the manse with tidings of what had taken 
place in the church, when one of the ministers as- 
cended the pulpit, gave a few words of advice, sung, 
prayed, and dismissed the congregation. But al- 
though the people left the church, many of them 
would not and did not go home till God had blessed 
them. The vestry was filled with penitents ; other 
places in the town were opened for them ; and 
scenes were witnessed that day in Kilsyth, the like 
of which had not been known within the memory of 
any then living. Numbers felt the gospel to be the 
power of God to salvation." 

CAME TO MOCK, BUT WENT AWAY TO PRAY. 

A minister from England being some years since 
at Edinburgh, was accosted very civilly by a young 
man in the street, with an apology for the liberty he 
was taking : " I think, sir," said he, " I have heard 
you at Spafields chapel." " You probably may, 
sir, for I have sometimes ministered there." " Do 
you remember," said he, " a note put up by an 
afflicted widow, begging the prayers of the congre- 
gation for the conversion of an ungodly son V " I 
do very w'ell remember such a circumstance." 
" Sir," said he, " I am the very person ; and, won- 
derful to tell, the prayer was effectual. Going on a 
frolic with some other abandoned young men one 
Sunday, through the Spafields, and passing by the 
chapel, I w^as struck with its appearance, and hearing 
it was a Methodist chapel, we agreed to mingle with 



272 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

the crowd, and stop for a few minutes to laugh and 
mock at the preacher and the people. We had only- 
just entered the chapel when you, sir, read the note, 
requesting the prayers of the congregation for an 
afflicted widow's son. I heard it with a sen- 
sation I cannot express. I was struck to the heart ; 
and though I had no idea that I was. the very indi- 
vidual meant, I felt that it expressed the bit! 
of a widow's heart who had a child as wicked as I 
knew myself to be. My mind was instantly solem- 
nized. I could not laugh ; my attention was riveted 
on the preacher. I heard his prayer and sermon 
with an impression very different from that which 
had carried me into the chapel. 

"From that moment the truths of the gospel 
reached my heart ; I joined the congregation ; cried 
to God in Christ for mercy, and found peace in be- 
lieving ; became my mother's comfort, as I had long 
been her heavy cross, and, through grace, trust I 
have still been enabled to consecrate myself to the 
service of God. An opening having lately been 
made for an advantageous settlement in my own 
country, I came hither with my excellent mother, 
and for some time past have endeavoured to dry up 
the widow's tears, which I had so often caused to 
flow, and to be the comfort and support of her old 
age, as I had been the torment and affliction of her 
former days. We live together in the enjoyment 
of every mercy, happy and thankful ; and every day 
1 acknowledge the kind hand of the Lord that led 
mo to the tSpalields chapel." 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 273 

REV. HOWEL HARRIS. 
When Mr. Howel Harris began his itinerant preach- 
ing in South Wales, which was some years before 
the Messrs. Wesley visited that part of the coun- 
try, Mr. Gwynne was alarmed at his conduct ; and 
imagining that this Howel Harris might be an incen- 
diary in church and state, he, being a magistrate, 
determined to put an end to these portentous irregu- 
larities. For this purpose he sallied out one day ; 
but said to his lady on going, " I will hear the man 
myself before I commit him." The sermon was so 
truly evangelical, so calculated to arouse the care- 
less, to alarm the wicked, and to encourage the pe- 
nitent, and the preacher's manner was so zealous 
and affectionate, that Mr. G. thought he resembled 
one of the apostles. He was so convinced of the 
purity of his doctrines, and of the benevolence of 
his motives, that, at the end of the discourse, he 
went up to Howel Harris, shook him by the hand, 
told him how much he had been misled by slander- 
ous reports ; avowed his intention of committing 
him, had they been true; asked his pardon, and, to 
the amazement of the assembly, entreated him to 
accompany him back to Garth to supper. 

Mrs. Gwynne, his lady, was a worthy woman, 
endowed with a superior understanding, and distin- 
guished by her love of the poor, whom she supplied 
regularly with food, clothing, and medicine ; but 
she had the strong prejudices of birth and fortune. 
She was one of six heiresses, each of whom had 
18 



274 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

j£30,000 for her portion, and all had married into 
opulent families. She was a violent enemy to all 
Presbyterians ; and when her husband returned, in- 
troducing to her Howel Harris, whom she deemed 
a man of inferior class, an innovator in the church, 
and a rebel to the king — when she heard Mr. 
6 wynne himself, in the presence of his whole family, 
entreat his forgiveness, acknowledge his error, and 
pay him great respect — she thought that her poor 
dear husband must have lost his senses ; and in 
grief and consternation she quitted the room, nor 
Mould return to it till after supper, and till Howel 
Harris had departed. 

It is gratifying, however, to add, that such was 
the effect of Mr. H.'s piety, that Mrs. G. became 
reconciled to him ; the family became devoted to 
God ; their house was thrown open to the minister 
of Christ, and their daughter became the wife of 
Mr. Charles Wesley. 

J. WESLEY AND MR. MADAN. 
The late Rev. Mr. Madan was educated for the 
bar. His conversion arose from the following cir- 
cumstance : — He was desired one evening, by some of 
his companions who were with him at a coffee-house, 
to go and hear Mr. John Wesley, who, they were 
told, was to preach in the neighbourhood, and to re- 
turn and exhibit his manners and discourse for their 
entertainment. He went with that intention, and 
just as he entered the place, Mr. Wesley named as 
his text, " Prepare to meet thy God," with a solem- 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 275 

nity of accent which struck him, and which inspired 
a seriousness that increased as Mr. Wesley pro- 
ceeded in exhorting his hearers to repentance. Mr. 
M. returned to the coffee-room, and was asked by 
his acquaintance, " if he had taken off the old Me- 
thodist]" To which he answered, " No, gentle- 
men, but he has taken me off;" and from that time 
he left their company altogether, and in future asso- 
ciated with serious people, and became himself a 
serious character. 

" WEIGHED AND FOUND WANTING." 
A person who travelled in the country in the cha- 
racter of a pedler, and who was exceedingly partial 
to Mr. Dawson as a preacher, was on a certain oc- 
casion one of his auditors. The person referred to 
generally carried a stick with him, which answered 
the double purpose of a walking-stick and a " yard 
wand ;" and having been employed pretty freely in 
the former capacity, it was worn down beyond the 
point of justice, and procured for him the appellation 
of" Short Measure." He stood before Mr. Dawson, 
and being rather noisy in his religious professions, as 
well as ready with his responses, he manifested signs 
of approbation, while the scales were being describ- 
ed and adjusted, and different classes of sinners were 
placed in them, and disposed of agreeably to the test 
of justice, truth, and mercy, — uttering in a somewhat 
subdued tone, yet loud enough for those around to 
hear, at the close of each particular, — " Light 
weight" — " short again," &c. After taking up the 



276 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

separate character of the flagTant transgressor of the 
law of God, the hypocrite, the formalist, Arc, Mr. 
Dawson at length came to such persons as possessed 
religious light, but little hallowed feeling, and the 
semblance of much zeal, but who employed false 
weights and measures. Here, without having ad- 
verted in his mind to the case of his noisy auditor, 
he perceived the muscles of his face working when 
the report of " short measure" occurred to him. Re- 
solved, however, to soften no previous expression, 
and to proceed with an analysis and description of 
the character in question, he placed the delinquent, 
in his singularly striking way, in the scale, when, in- 
stead of the usual response, the man, stricken before 
him, took his stick — the favourite measure — from 
under his arm, raised one foot from the floor, doubled 
his knee, and taking hold of the offending instrument 
by both ends, snapped it into two pieces, exclaiming, 
while dashing it to the ground, u Thou shalt do 
it no more." So true is it, to employ the language 
of an eminent minister, that " no man ever offended 
his own conscience, but first or last it was revenged 
upon him for it." 

REV. DR. L. BEECHER. 
The doctor once engaged to preach, by way of ex- 
change, for a country minister, and the Sabbath 
proved to be excessively cold, stormy, and uncom- 
fortable. It was mid-winter, and the snow was 
piled in heaps all along the roads, so as to make the 
passage very difficult. Still the doctor urged his 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 277 

horse through the drifts, till he reached the church, 
put his horse into a shed, and went in. As yet, there 
was no person in the house, and after looking about, 
he took his seat in the pulpit. Soon the door opened, 
and a single individual walked up the aisle, looked 
about, and took a seat. 

The hour came for commencing service, but there 
were no more hearers. Whether to preach to such 
an audience or not, was only a momentary question 
with Lyman Beecher. He felt that he had a duty 
to perform, and that he had no right to refuse to do it, 
because one man only could reap benefit ; and ac- 
cordingly he went through all the services, praying, 
singing, preaching, and the benediction, with his one 
hearer. And when all was over, he hastened down 
from the desk to speak to his " congregation," but he 
had departed. 

So rare a circumstance was, of course, occasional- 
ly referred to, but twenty years after a very delight- 
ful discovery came to light in connexion with this 
service. The good doctor was travelling somewhere 
in Ohio, and alighting from the stage in a pleasant 
village, a gentleman stepped up to him and familiarly 
called him by his name. " I do not remember you," 
said Dr. B. " I suppose not," said the stranger, " but 
we spent two hours together in a house, alone, once, 
in a storm." " I do not recall it, sir," added the old 
minister ; " pray where was it V 1 " Do you remem- 
ber preaching twenty years ago, in such a place, to 
a single person ?" " Yes, yes," said the doctor, 
grasping his hand, "I do, indeed ; and if you are the 



278 VARIOUS METHODS OF US£* L LNE8S. 

man, I have been wishing to see you ever since.** 
" I am the man, sir ; and that sermon saved my 
soul, made a minister of me, and yonder is my 
church ! The converts of that sermon, sir, are all 
over Ohio !" 

So striking a result made no little impression on 
the doctor's mind. He learned that the man was at 
the time a lawyer, who was in the town on business, 
and tired of a Sunday morning at a country hotel, 
went, in despite of the storm, to church, and heard 
that sermon. The doctor added, ■ I think that was 
about as satisfactory an audience as I ever had." 

JOHN SUNDAY. 
" I understand," said John Sunday, the converted 
Indian chief, to a congregation which he was called 
to address at Plymouth, in the year 1837, u that many 
of you are disappointed, because I have not brought 
my Indian dress with me. Perhaps, if I had it on, 
you would be afraid of me. Do you wish to know 
how I dressed when I was a pagan Indian ? I will 
tell you. My face was covered with red paint. I 
stuck feathers in my hair. I wore a blanket and 
leggins. I had silver ornaments on my breast, a 
rifle on my shoulder, a tomahawk and scalping-knife 
in my belt. That was my dress then. Now, do yon 
wish to know why I wear it no longer 1 You will 
find the cause in second Corinthians, fifth chapter 
and seventeenth verse : ' Therefore, if any man be 
in Christ, he is a new creature ; old things are 
passed away ; behold, all things are become new.' 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 279 

When I became a Christian, feathers and paint 
* passed away.' I gave my silver ornaments to the 
mission cause. Scalping-knife ' done away ;' toma- 
hawk ' done away.' That my tomahawk now," said 
he, holding up, at the same time, a copy of the Ten 
Commandments, in the Ojibwa language. " Blanket 
1 done away.' Behold," he exclaimed, in a manner 
in which simplicity and dignity of character were 
combined, " Behold, all things are become new !" 

CONFLICTING ADVICE. 
fi I remember, on one occasion," says the Rev. Dr. 
Kennaday, " in the early part of my ministry, when 
I visited one of my appointments upon the circuit I 
then travelled, I was seated amid my studies, seri- 
ously reflecting upon my labours in that village, when 
one of the brethren, an aged and judicious man, 
entered my room, and after a few moments conversa- 
tion on the state of the congregation, more marked 
for the greatness of its numbers, and the solemnity 
of its general attention, than for the instances of con- 
version, observed, ' I have thought that I would 
suggest to you the propriety of preaching, this even- 
ing, on the love of God. I sometimes think we hear 
so much of terror and of wrath, that the people be- 
come hardened.' I thanked him for his advice, for 
I believed it was given in candour and affection. 
He had been gone from my room but a little while, 
when another entered, a brother deservedly beloved, 
and of no less influence. I soon perceived that the 
state of the congregation was the burden of his heart, 



280 VARIOUS METHODS OK I MJTLNKSS. 

In a little time he remarked, ' I thought I would take 
the liberty of advising you to preach a sermon to- 
night, on the terrors of the law. It is a long time 
since we heard a sermon truly alarming, and the peo- 
ple, I fear, are presuming unjustly upon that love of 
which they hear so constantly. Give us something, 
brother, that will arouse.' Could opinions be more 
conflicting 1 And yet they were men of sound piety, 
and of no ordinary judgment. This little incident, 
so early occurring, taught me, through my ministry, 
incessantly and intensely, so to ' speak, not as pleas- 
ing men, but God."' 

CONVERSION OF GENERAL BRYAN. 
" At one of our quarterly meetings," says Rev. T. 
Ware, " on New River, a religious concern was 
waked up in many, which pervaded a large district 
of country, and suspended for many weeks almost 
all worldly concerns. In one family, where I passed 
many happy days, there were thirty who claimed to 
be born again, twelve of whom were whites, the 
fruits of that meeting. This was the family of Ge- 
neral Bryan, who was a barrister at law, and, pre- 
vious to the meeting, a professed deist. His lady 
had watched a favourite opportunity, and had ob- 
tained a promise from the general to attend her to 
the expected quarterly meeting. When the day ar- 
rived, the coach was in readiness to convt . 
Bryan to the meeting, and servants to attend her, 
but the general declined going himself. This was 
a disappointment that went to the heart, for she had 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 281 

said she would not go without him. After a little 
pause, she stepped to the door and ordered the 
coach to be put up, and then, with a forced smile, 
said, ' I must forgive you, general, this ungentle- 
manly act, as it is the first time I have had to com- 
plain of you. If you, sir, can lightly get over your 
pledge, I cannot get over mine. I have said I would 
not go without you ;' adding, 'if my husband was a 
Christian, I should be one of the happiest of women.' 
She then burst into tears, and was about to leave 
the room, when the general caught her in his arms, 
and said, ' I cannot resist the eloquence of tears ; 
dry them up, and I will go.' 

" On Sunday morning the general and his lady 
were seated again in the congregation. Preaching, 
with short intervals, continued for several hours, 
and the whole assembly were, from time to time, 
bowed down like the slender reed before the passing 
breeze ; but none of them as yet lost their elasticity. 
Many hearts seemed bruised, but none broken. The 
last that spoke melted his auditors on these affect- 
ing words, namely, ' Which none of the princes of 
this world knew, for had they known it, they would 
not have crucified the Lord of glory.' Under this 
discourse General Bryan was seen to weep, and 
when the collection was made many wondered 
much to see him volunteer in making it, at the close 
of which he asked the privilege of addressing the 
people, and, having mounted the stand, spoke nearly 
in the following strain : — 

"'Fellow-citizens, — I have sometimes trembled 



VARIOUS METHODS oi LsLFLLM. 

before the majesty of courts. But where am I 
now ! and what? An advi >! Before a 

judge weak and erring like myself? No, but be- 
fore the Judge eternal ! To plead the cause of 
truth against myself, and against many of you, who, 
like myself, have crucified the Lord of glory ! Had 
I known it, I would not have do:. ly, nor 

would you, nor you,' pointing to two of his deistical 
fraternity. ' You see my tears ; they are tears of 
penitential grief, for myself and for you, for we have 
denied the Lord that bought us with his own blood. 

" • Ye dear heralds of the gospel ! I am an ad- 
vocate for Christ. You have convinced me. You 
say, when the Eternal would save the world, he 
chose a way known only to himself. None of the 
princes of this world knew it, and they could not 
until it was told them, and then they would not be- 
lieve ! So neither would I until you melted me into 
the belief. Some may doubt it, but I know God has 
sent you, and your God and people shall be mine. 1 

" During this speech the people were silent as 
death, save now and then a sob or shriek ; but now 
a loud cry arose, and continued with many until the 
going down of the sun ; and the slain of the Lord 
were many. 

"General Bryan lived, I think, not qui; 
years after this happy change ; but he lived truly 
an advocate for Christ, and died happy, lifting his 
arm in token of victory when his tongue failed to 
articulate words." 



PUBLIC INSTRUCTION. 283 

COITVERSION OF GEN. RUSSELL AND LADY. 
" Our first conference in Holston," says Rev. T. 
Ware, " was held in 1788. As the road by which 
Bishop Asbury was to come was infested with hos- 
tile savages, so that it could not be travelled except 
by considerable companies together, he was de- 
tained for a week after the time appointed to com- 
mence it. But we were not idle ; and the Lord 
gave us many souls in the place where we were as- 
sembled, among whom were General Russell and 
lady, the latter a sister of the illustrious Patrick 
Henry. I mention these particularly, because they 
were the first-fruits of our labours at this confer- 
ence. 

" On the Sabbath we had a crowded audience ; 
and Mr. Tunnell preached an excellent sermon, 
which produced great effect. The sermon was fol- 
lowed by a number of powerful exhortations. When 
the meeting closed, Mrs. Russell came to me and 
said, ' I thought I was a Christian ; but, sir, I am 
not a Christian — I am the veriest sinner upon earth. 
I want you and Mr. Mastin to come with Mr. Tun- 
nell to our house, and pray for us, and tell us what 
we must do to be saved.' So we went and spent 
much of the afternoon in prayer, especially for Mrs. 
Russell. But she did not obtain deliverance. Being 
much exhausted, the preachers retired to a pleasant 
grove, near at hand, to spend a short time. After 
we had retired, the general, seeing the agony of 
soul under which his poor wife was labouring, read 



281 VARIOUS METHODS Or ; 88. 

to her, by the advice of his pious daughter, Mr. 
Fletcher's charming address to mourners, as con- 
tained in his Appeal. At length we heard the word 
* Glory!' often repeated, accompanied with the 
clapping of hands. We hastened to the house, and 
found Mrs. Russell praising the Lord, and the ge- 
neral walking the floor and weeping bitterly, utter- 
ing at the same time this plaintive appeal to the Sa- 
viour of sinners : ' O Lord, thou didst bless my dear 
wife while thy poor servant was reading to her — 
hast thou not a blessing also for me V At length 
he sat down, quite exhausted. This scene was in a 
high degree interesting to us. To see the old sol- 
dier and statesman — the proud opposer of godliness, 
trembling, and earnestly inquiring what he must do 
to be saved, was an affecting sight. But the work 
ended not here. The conversion of Mrs. Russell, 
whose zeal, good sense, and amiableness of charac- 
ter, were proverbial, together with the penitential 
grief so conspicuous In the general, made a deep 
impression on the minds of many, and numbers were 
brought in before the conference closed. The ge- 
neral rested not until he knew his adoption ; and he 
continued a faithful member of the church, and an 
official member, after he became eligible for office, 
constantly adorning the doctrine of God our Sa- 
viour unto the end of his life." 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 285 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 



THE EAR-TRUMPET HELD FAST. 
An aged sailor, on the coast of Kent, (Eng.,) was 
recently an object of much solicitude to some pious 
persons, who were acquainted with his state. He 
had passed his eightieth year, was so deaf that he 
could hear no one speak, and was rapidly advancing 
to the grave, as he could not take food, and would 
not employ medicine. The opposition he had mani- 
fested to divine truth was now diminished, but it 
was only as, in common with other objects of dislike, 
he became less sensible of their real character. 

The anxiety of those who pitied his spiritual con- 
dition was in consequence increased, and a speaking 
and an ear trumpet were both employed, in the hope 
of gaining an entrance to his mind. The experi- 
ment succeeded ; he could now hear what was said, 
and truths of the first importance were plainly and 
faithfully stated. So offended, however, was he 
with the appeal of a Christian minister, that for ten 
days he would not allow him to be re-admitted to 
his room. But tracts — so often useful under the 
blessing of God — were not thus excluded, and he 
suffered several of them to be read to him, some of 
which proved both interesting and instructive. Still 
it was observed that he carefully removed the ear- 
trumpet whenever any part of a sentence bore hard 
on his state as a sinner before God. 



286 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

In his second interview, the minister made more 
guarded and careful approaches to the conscience of 
the old sailor, and by gradually exhibiting til 
in the use of seafaring allusions, he awakened his 
attention. Aware of the artifice of his auditor, he 
held the ear-trumpet fast with his own hand, and 
by day and night he explained and enforced the 
great truths of the gospel of God. 

At length success crowned his efforts. Animated 
by the injunction — " In the morning sow thy seed, 
and in the evening withhold not thine hand ; for 
thou knowest not which shall prosper, either this 
or that, or whether they both shall be alike good ;" 
he had the happiness of seeing that sailor, once so 
hostile to divine truth, humble, teachable, grateful, 
and prayerful. He died in the spring of 1839, in 
the attitude of prayer, leaving behind him satisfac- 
tory evidence that the language of devotion was fol- 
lowed by that of praise. His remains were interred 
before a small place of worship in one of the bays 
of the Kentish coast ; and it is delightful to add, 
that his widow and three daughters rejoice, it is be- 
lieved, in a scriptural hope of meeting him in glory. 

A WORD FITLY SPOKEN. 
The biographer of Mr. Ouseley remarks, that he 
never let an opportunity pass unimproved, whether 
riding by the way, or at the houses of his friends. 
Among other instances of his fidelity and success he 
relates the two following : — 

" I remember spending an evening in his com- 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 287 

pany, in the house of a friend in Bumsokane, where 
a large company were at tea. A young lady sat at 
his right hand, who had not discovered any indica- 
tions of seriousness ; he turned to her sister-in-law, 
who was on his left, a person of piety and sense, 
and said, ' Is this young lady born again V The 
4ady replied, ' She is of age, ask her.' That mo- 
ment the young lady was filled with deep emotion — 
cried to God for mercy, and soon tasted that the 
Lord was gracious. The whole company felt the 
divine influence ; such, indeed, was his general mode 
of spending a social hour with his friends that these 
opportunities were turned into means of grace. 
Very often his occasional conversations, as he tra- 
velled, were attended with similar gracious effects. 
One instance of this kind Mr. Noble mentions. 
- On one occasion,' says Mr. N., 'as he was travel- 
ling in the county of Wicklow, and while his horse 
stopped to drink in a stream that ran across the 
road, Mr. O. saw a young woman standing at her 
father's door ; he went toward her, took her by the 
hand, spoke to her a few moments about her soul, 
and at parting prayed that the blessing of the Lord 
might rest upon her. About two years afterward he 
happened to be in the country : after preaching in a 
gentleman's house in that neighbourhood, a young 
man came up to him, and invited him to his house. 
The next evening, on his arrival, the lady of the 
house received him in the most affectionate manner, 
saying, ' Mr. Ouseley, I believe you don't know me. 5 
He replied, ' No, my dear, I do not.' She then re- 



288 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

Dftlled the circumstance above narrated to his recol- 
lection, and added, ' I am the person you addressed 
on that occasion ; up to that period I had known no- 
thing of the plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, 
but the observations you made resulted in my con- 
version : I am now a married woman ; the young 
man who invited you is my husband, and is ■ 
leader. The Lord is with us, and is blessing us ; 
and we now rejoice to see under our roof my father 
in the gospel.' " 

REV. JOHN SMITH. 
" Mr. Smith," says his biographer, u excelled in 
pastoral qualifications and duties, and was often emi- 
nently useful in private society. ' Kindness,' says 
Mr. Calder, ' was peculiarly prominent in his moral 
constitution, and gave to his piety the most interest- 
ing forms of sweetness and benignity. Hence the 
absence of all austerity from his manners. Of this 
children seemed to be conscious, and soon attached 
themselves to him with peculiar fondness, which he 
amply returned. In this respect he resembled the 
founder of Methodism, and I may add, the Founder 
of our holy religion also. Not satisfied with merely 
doing the work of the pulpit, he deemed it right to 
acquaint himself with, and frequently to visit, every 
family connected with the society. An unconverted 
individual in such a family became the subject of 
his peculiar solicitude, and he was placed upon his 
list to be specifically remembered before God with 
many tears and persevering intercessions. This 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 289 

ceaseless concern for the children and servants of 
our people was attended with glorious results. My 
house was frequently the scene of holy triumph ; for 
if a visit was paid to me by any of the children of 
our friends, residing in other parts of the kingdom, 
they became the objects of his peculiar regard. By 
his kind and affectionate behaviour, he first ingra- 
tiated himself into their favour, and then, watching 
the effect of his admonitions, he was restless till 
they obtained the mercy of God. Never shall I 
forget the case of one of the sons of the late Mr. B., 
of London, upon whom, while paying a visit to my 
house at Brighton, Mr. S. commenced a serious at- 
tack on the subject of his salvation. This was fol- 
lowed up from day to day, till the young man be- 
came duly impressed with the importance of religion ; 
and not long after, our departed friend called me into 
his study, to join with them in praising God for hav- 
ing bestowed upon this person a sense of pardon. 
He shortly after returned to his family a truly con- 
verted character,' and subsequently became a zeal- 
ous local preacher. ' The daughter of one of our 
London friends,' Mr. C. adds, ' was brought to God 
in a similar manner.' 

" Another incident which occurred about this 
time, will serve to exemplify the same subject. 
Having to go to a distant part of the Brighton cir- 
cuit, Mr. S. stayed to dine at an intermediate village. 
After dinner, an interesting and intelligent servant 
girl, of about fourteen years of age, who was engaged 
in the room in which he sat, arrested his attention. 
19 



290 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

' Corao hither, my dear,' said he, in his usually se- 
rious and impressive manner, ■ I wish to speak to 
you.' She immediately came, and, looking very 
earnestly in his face, awaited, with an appearance 
of great interest, what he had to say. ' Do you 
know that you are a sinner V he asked. Heaving 
a deep sigh, she replied, ■ Yes, sir.' ' Do you know 
that you will be lost unless your sins are pardoned V 
'Yes, sir.' * Are you unhappy V 'Yes, sir.' 'Do 
you ever pray V ' Yes.' ' Do you say your pray- 
ers, or do you ask for anything you feel you want V 
' I say my prayers.' ' But you could ask me for 
anything you wanted, could you not V ' Yes, sir.' 
' Suppose you were a very poor girl, and went to 
Mrs. S. to beg, you could tell her of your distress, 
and ask her to give you something V In a voice 
full of emotion, she replied, 'Yes, sir. 1 ' Well, you 
are a poor distressed sinner : God pities you : you 
can ask him to forgive you. Shall 1 pray for you * 
what shall I pray for V 

" The poor child could not reply for weeping. 
They then kneeled down, and in a very few minutes 
she began to cry aloud for mercy, and to com 
bewail her sins in a remarkably fluent and affecting 
manner. She continued to cry till God revealed his 
Son in her heart. The change in her countenance 
and accents was astonishing. She praised God in 
a loud and joyful voice ; and with a faith that greatly 
surprised Mr. S., who stood at her side, interceded 
for her relations, for all sinners, and for the world 
at large. Her gratitude taught her new and elo- 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 291 

quent language ! With extraordinary emphasis she 
said, over and over again, ' Jesus has died for me ! 
Jesus has died for me ! Blessed Jesus ! Blessed 
Jesus ! my God ! — my Father ! God pities me ; 
God loves me, and I love my God ! O when shall 
I be with thee in glory, to praise thy name forever 
and ever V &c. She continued on her knees for 
more than an hour, and her state of rapture was so 
extreme, that, as Mr. S. afterward said, it seemed 
as if it had been impossible for her to have survived 
so overpowering a revelation of the divine love." 

KEY. J. WESLEY AND THE EARL OP 
HUJTTDTGDOtf. 

Speaking one day of the late Lady Huntingdon, says 
Rev. Henry Moore, "Mr. Wesley, shortly before his 
death, gave me this account respecting her ladyship's 
only son. His lordship, who had a great personal re- 
spect for Mr. Wesley, as they were sitting alone to- 
gether one day, observed, ' I should wish, sir, to have 
some conversation with you on the subject of religion ; 
the lady my mother is too importunate with me on these 
matters.' Mr. Wesley assented, replying, ' What 
point would your lordship choose for discussion V 
1 The difficulties of revelation,' it was subjoined. 
Mr. Wesley continued, ' My lord, had we not better 
begin with the difficulties of what is termed natural 
religion V The earl replied, ' Sir, you surprise me ; 
I thougbt there were no difficulties in natural reli- 
gion.' Mr. Wesley answered, ' My lord, there are 
difficulties ; and such as I doubt neither you nor I 



H BTHODS »>; i SEFULN1 

What does your lordship think of the 
Jirs-t point in all religion, tin' worship of an • 
God ' What idea has your lordship of a Being with- 
out beginning and without end I 1 His lord^i 
silent for some time, and then expressed himself as 
4 utterly lust in the idea of such an existence.' ' And 
on must believe it ; 
ur lordship get on one step without believing 
it V The reply was, ' I cannot. 1 ' Well, then,' added 
Mr. Wesley, ' my lord, in all religion we must take 
the very first point for granted, and that, too, with 
the highest reason ; and yet we can form no concep- 
tion of it : the idea of an eternal Being is too vast for 
finite intelligence : let us, then, converse a little re- 
specting the evidences of religion. 1 Mr. Wesley 
being fully master of this subject, the conversation 
was long, interesting, and satisfactory. His lord- 
ship made this objection, ' How can 1 be certain that 
this record, while I cannot deny any part of it, was 
ever realized by any man !' ' The sau. 
lord, which assures you of the facts, gi\ 
clearest account of those who testify to th< 
and in such a manner as, admitting one, doubt is 
shut out from the other ; and I could bring you a 
hundred witnesses, out of the book-, who can now, 
any day, assure you of the same facts. 1 ' 0/ replied 
his lordship, 4 my mother tells me enough of 
that would bring me to personal experience, which 
as yet I cannot receive.' 

" And so the conversation ended ; but, oh 
Mr. Wesley, ' I have a good hope in reference to the 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 293 

earl ; believing that for some time before his death, 
his lordship was a changed man.' " 

The earl of Huntingdon died in the prime of youth- 
ful vigour, in a fit of apoplexy, while sitting at table 
with a party of friends. 

WESLEY AND HOWARD. 
The name of Howard, throughout Christendom, is a 
household word. There is scarce an intelligent 
school-boy who has not heard of the philanthropist 
" who visited all Europe, not to collect medals or 
collate manuscripts, but to dive into the depths of 
dungeons, to plunge into the infection of hospitals, 
to survey the mansions of sorrow and pain, to take 
the gauge and dimensions of misery, depression, and 
contempt ; to remember the forgotten, to visit the 
forsaken, and to compare and collate the distress of 
all men, in all countries." But it is not so generally 
known, that, although each moved in his own sphere, 
the exemplar of Howard was Wesley. That such 
was the fact, will appear by the following incidents, 
from the life of Rev. Henry Moore.* In a letter from 
Alexander Knox, Esq., to Mr. Moore, Mr. Knox 
remarks : — 

" In the course of Mr. Howard's tour through Ire- 
land, in the year 1787, he spent a few days in Lon- 
donderry, (where I then resided.) I earnestly 
wished to see him, but bad health confined me to the 
house, and I thought I could not be gratified : such 

* A very interesting volume, published at the Methodist Book 
Concern, 200 Mulberry-street. 



VARIOUS METHOD 01 ISEFUI.M 

were my thoughts, when I was told a gentleman had 
called to see me. It was Mr. Howard : I was de- 
lightfully surprised : I acknowledged it as one of tho 
happiest moments of my life. He came to see me, 
because he understood I was Mr. Wesley's friend ; 
he began immediately to speak of him. He told mo 
he ' had seen him shortly before in Dublin ; that he 
had spent some hours with him, and was greatly edi- 
fied by his conversation. I was, said Mr. Howard, 
encouraged by him to go on vigorously with my own 
designs. I saw in him how much a single man might 
achieve by zeal and perseverance ; and I thought, 
why may not I do as much in my way as Mr. Wes- 
ley has done in his, if I am only as assiduous and 
persevering ? and I determined I would pursue my 
work with more alacrity than ever.' I cannot quit 
this subject," continues Mr. Knox, " without observ- 
ing that, excepting Mr. Wesley, no man ever gave me 
a more perfect idea of angelic goodness than Mr. 
Howard : his whole conversation exhibited a most 
interesting tissue of exalted piety, meek simplicity, 
and glowing charity. His striking adieu I shall 
never forget. ' Farewell, sir,' said he ; ' when we 
meet again may it be in heaven, or further on our 
way to it.' Precious man, may your prayer be an- 
swered, ' May my soul be with thine !' M 

Mr. Moore proceeds to his own personal interview 
with Mr. Howard thus : — 

11 In the beginning of the year 1789 Mr. Howard 
called at Mr. Wesley's house, in the City Road, Lon- 
don, in order to take his leave of him previously to 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 295 

his again flying to the continent at the call of mercy. 
Mr. Howard carried his last quarto upon the jails 
under his arm, in order to present it to his friend ; 
but Mr. Wesley was on his way to Ireland. We 
were then residing at the City Road, and Mr. 
Howard favoured us with his company for upwards 
of an hour. 

" He delightfully called to mind the former days, 
when he had first heard Mr. Wesley, at his seat in 
Bedfordshire, and well recollected the discourse 
which made the first impression on his mind. 

" ' Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor 
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou 
goest.' Eccles. ix, 10. 'I have,' added Mr. How- 
ard, ' but one thing to do, and I strive to do it with 
my might. 

" ' The Lord has taken away whatever might have 
been an incumbrance : all places are alike to me, for 
I find misery in all. He gives me continual health ; 
I have no need to be careful for anything. I eat no 
animal food, and can have all I want in the most in- 
convenient situations. Present my respects and love 
to Mr. Wesley : tell him I had ho^ed to see him 
once more : perhaps we may meet again in this 
world ; but if not, we shall meet, I trust, in a better.' 

" We hung upon his lips delighted. Such a pic- 
ture of love, simplicity, and cheerfulness, we have 
seldom seen. Taking his leave, Mr. Howard said, 
' I think I have gained a little knowledge concerning 
the plague : I shall therefore, after visiting the Rus- 



296 VARIOUS M 

nan camp, pass into the Turkish, and from thence, 
by Constantinople, to Egypt. 1 So he pur; 

Moore, " his heart being enlarged with the 
love of God and man. 

" But while this angel of mercy was ministering to 
the sons of war, in the hospital of the Russian camp, 
God said, ' It is enough, come up hither, enter thou 
into the joy of thy Lord !' " 

REV. MR. DODD ASD A NOBLEMAN. 
A nobleman, one of the former lords Say and Sele, 
who lived in the neighbourhood of the Rei 
Dodd, one day asked him to dine with him. Before 
dinner they walked into the garden, and after view- 
ing the various productions and rarities with which 
it abounded, his lordship exclaimed. "Well, Mr. 
Dodd, you see I want for nothing ; I have all that 
my heart can wish for. 1 ' As Mr. Dodd made no 
reply, but appeared thoughtful, his lordshi, 
him the reason. "Why, my lord," said the old 
man, "I have been thinking that a man may have 
all these things, and go to hell after all' 
words powerfully struck the nobleman, and, through 
the blessing of* God, terminated in his lordship's 
conversion. 

REV. W. E. MILLER. 
It was the daily and constant practice of the hte 
W. E. Miller, and which he carried down to the 
close of his life, to preach, as his biographer terms 
it, to persons in the streets, and by the road- side. 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 297 

He habitually accosted parties he might meet, whe- 
ther rich or poor, young or old. And his appear- 
ance was so saintly, his manners so courteous, and 
his spirit so Christian and holy, that he seems rarely 
to have given offence. He informed a friend of 
ours, that though he had done this for many years, 
yet he had never met with anything remarkably rude 
in return for his kind offices, but once ; that was from 
a gentleman, who threatened corporeal punishment. 
The same friend observed him on a cold winter's 
day, with the sleet furiously falling, in pursuit of a 
poor beggar. He had accosted him on the usual 
subject, and not relishing his affectionate appeals, 
he crossed the street to make his escape. But Mr. 
Miller, in the feebleness of age, (for it took place 
only a year or two before his death,) girt up his ut- 
most strength, followed the poor man, and was seen 
in close conversation with him, till some turn of the 
street placed them out of sight. 

" Knowing that a friend had lived in one of the 
places where Mr. Miller was stationed," adds his 
biographer, "I inquired if he knew him. 'Not in 
the place in question,' was the reply, ' but I and my 
sisters met him once in a street in Sheffield, the 
only time I ever saw him, and he accosted us. 
' Well, my dears, are you praying this morning ? 
are you happy in the love of Jesus V gave us some 
good advice, and passed on. One instance more 
may be mentioned. Two ladies of my acquaintance, 
then recently come to Sheffield, w r ere walking in one 
of the lanes in the suburbs of the town, when they 



298 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

were met by Mr. Miller. He knew them not, and 
one had at that time never seen him. The other 
had been present at a meeting the night before, in 
which he had engaged in prayer, and being much 
struck with his spirit, was speaking of him, when 
he suddenly broke in upon them, and accosting them 
— ' Well, my dears, is it all prayer this morning ? 
Are you lifting up your souls to God for his bles- 
sing 1 Is Jesus all in all 1 Is he precious I 1 One 
answered his inquiries. ' Bless the Lord ! bless the 
Lord !' he exclaimed. ' Now seek for a clean heart, 
my dears ; get entirely sanctified. O ! the blood of 
Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.' Then speak- 
ing of his experience, he exclaimed, ' Good morning, 
get to your knees, my dears.' Being impressed by 
his manner and address, they turned round to look 
after a form so lovely ; when at a short distance, 
they beheld him stopping a servant-maid who was 
bustling up the road, apparently on an errand, with a 
jug in her hand. What passed could not be heard, 
but after a parley of two or three minutes, the girl 
was seen moving off, and as soon as she had got clear 
of her instructor, she gathered up her apron, and 
wiped her tears. Those tears, it is to be hoped, were 
tears of godly sorrow." 

REV. MR. CHARLES. 
When the Rev. Mr. Charles, of Bala, in Wales, met 
a poor man or woman on the road, he used 
his horse, and make the inquiry — " Can you read the 
Bible V He was so much in the habit of doing this, 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 299 

that he became everywhere known from this prac- 
tice. " The gentleman who kindly asked the poor 
people about the Bible and their souls," was Mr. 
Charles. Meeting one day with an old man, on one 
of the mountains, he said to him, — " You are an old 
man, and very near another world." " Yes," said 
he, " and I hope I am going to heaven." " Do you 
know the road there, — do you know the word of 
God I" " Pray are you Mr. Charles V said the old 
man. He suspected who he was from his questions. 
He was frequently thus accosted when asking the 
poor people he met with about their eternal concerns. 
" Pray are you Mr. Charles 1" was often the inquiry. 
When he had time, he scarcely ever passed by a 
poor man on the road, without talking to him about 
his soul, and his knowledge of the Bible. When he 
found any ignorant of the word of God, and not able 
to read it, he represented to them, in a kind and 
simple manner, the duty and necessity of becoming 
acquainted with it, and feelingly and compassionately 
set before them the awful state of those who leave 
the world without knowing the word of God, and the 
way of saving the soul. He sometimes succeeded 
in persuading them to learn to read ; and the good 
he thus did was no doubt very great. 

REV. DR. SPRING. 
The Rev. Dr. Spring, of New- York, related some 
time ago that, during the period of a revival of 
religion, a young lady of his congregation, the 
object of high hope, the centre of wide influence, 



300 VARIOUS METRO 

capable of noble things, yet careering on the giddy 
steep of fashion and of folly, created in him no small 
solicitude, as every avenue to her soul seemed i 
sedulously guarded. He delayed the visit of counsel 
and exhortation, and delayed till, rebuked by con- 
science, he could do so no longer. As soon as he 
called and was ushered into the parlour, the first and 
only person whom he saw was this young lady bathed 
in tears, who immediately exclaimed, " My dear 
tor, I rejoice to see you. I was fearful I was the 
only one who had escaped your friendly notice." 
What a rebuke to fear ! What an encouragement to 
hope and to action ! 

THE BROKEN WIXG. 
A gentleman, who saw and conversed with Dr. 
Payson in Boston, when he visited that city towards 
the latter part of his life, was led by his preaching 
and conversation to a degree of serious concern for 
his soul. His wife was still in a great measure in- 
different to the subject. One day, meeting her in 
company, he said to her, " Madam, I think your hus- 
band is looking upwards ; making some efforts to rise 
above the world, towards God and heaven. You 
must not let him try alone. Whenever I see the 
husband struggling alone in such efforts, it makes me 
think of a dove endeavouring to fly upwards while it 
has one broken wing. Jt leaps and flutters, and per- 
haps raises itself up a little way, and then it becomes 
wearied, and drops back again to the ground. If 
both wings co-operate, then it mounts easily." 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 301 

REV. MR. VENN AND THE INN-KEEPER. 
A year or two after the publication of his " Com- 
plete Duty of Man," that excellent minister, the Rev. 
Henry Venn, observed, whilst sitting at the window 
of an inn, in the west of England, the waiter endea- 
vouring to assist a man who was driving some pigs 
on the road, while the rest of the servants amused 
themselves only with the difficulties which the man 
experienced from their frowardness. This benevo- 
lent trait in the waiter's character induced Mr. Venn 
to call him in, and to express to him the pleasure 
which he felt in seeing him perform this act of kind- 
ness. After showing him how pleasing to the Al- 
mighty every instance of good-will to our fellow- 
creatures was, he expatiated upon the love of God, 
in sending his Son, from the purest benevolence, to 
save mankind. He exhorted him to seek for that 
salvation which God, in his infinite mercy, had given 
as the most inestimable gift to man. He promised 
to send him a book which he had himself published ; 
and taking down the address of the waiter, which 
he was very anxious to give, he sent him, upon his 
return to London, a copy of The Complete Duty of 
Man. Many years after this, a friend travelling to 
see him, brought him a letter from this very person, 
who then kept a large inn in the west of England, 
having married his former master's daughter. His 
friend told him, that coming to that inn on a Satur- 
day night, and proposing to stay there till Monday, 
he had inquired of the servants, whether any of them 



302 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

went on Sunday to a place of worship. To his sur- 
prise, he found that they were all required to go, at 
least one part of the day, and that the master, with 
his wife and family, never failed to attend public wor- 
ship, and to have family prayer, at which all the ser- 
vants, who were not particularly engaged, were re- 
quired to be present. Surprised by this uncommon 
sppet ranee of religion where he little expected 
to rind it, he inquired of the landlord by what means 
lie possessed such a sense of the importance of reli- 
gion. He was told that it was owing to a work 
which a gentleman had sent to him several years ago, 
after speaking to him, in a manner which deeply in- 
terested him, of the goodness of God in giving his 
Son to die for our sins. On desiring to see the book, 
he found it to be " The Complete Duty of Man." 
Rejoiced to find that his guest was going to p;iv I 
visit to Mr. Yenn,tl»e inn-keeper immediately wrote 
a letter, expressing, in the fulness of his heart, the 
obligations which he owed to Mr. Venn, and the hap- 
piness which himself, his wife, and many of his chil- 
dren and domestics enjoyed daily, in consequence of 
the conversation which Mr. Venn had had with him, 
and the book which he had sent him ; and which he 
had read again and again, with increasing comfort 
and advantage. 

REV. ROBERT STEPHENS M'ALL. 
The most eminent men have generally been distin- 
guished even in youth, for what have afterwards 
proved the most prominent features of their ohlflt 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 303 

ter. This was strikingly the case with the late Rev. 
Dr. M'All, of Manchester. Dr. Raffles, in his 
funeral sermon, speaking of his youth, says : — 
. " At this period an event occurred which I can- 
not forbear to mention, because it marks the vigour 
of his intellect, and the extent of his information, and 
the estimation in which, on these accounts, even at 
that early age, he was held by one well qualified to 
form an accurate estimate of both. Calling one 
afternoon on Dr. Olinthus Gregory, at Woolwich, 
intending to stay a short time and return, the doctor 
constrained him to remain, saying, that he expected 
some young men, students in the military college, to 
tea, who were under the influence of infidel principles, 
and that he knew of no one with whom he was more 
desirous they should converse upon the points at 
issue, than his youthful visitor. With his charac- 
teristic modesty, he shrank from the proposed inter- 
view, and would fain have retired. Dr. Gregory, 
however, would take no denial, and he at length con- 
sented to remain, but only so far to take part in the 
conversation as that, in the event of Dr. Gregory 
omitting anything that might seem to him to be ma- 
terial, he would endeavour to supply the deficiency. 
The expected guests arrived ; the subject of Chris- 
tianity was introduced ; its young apologist was in- 
duced to speak ; and, having once begun, he poured 
forth such a strain of eloquent and irresistible argu- 
mentation, that the conversion of at least two of the 
party was the happy result. 



VARIOUS VETUOl 

joh mwooDi 

em honourable matron, had long 
followed the truth, and, in the days of Queen .Mars , 
i visit the prisons, and comfort and relieve the 
1 1 lessors. Afterwards, she was under 
most dif re and doubts respecting b 

\atiun ; her sorrow was such that she sunk into de- 
spair. Her health became affected ; she appeared to 
be in a deep consumption, even on the brink of the 
grave. In this desponding state she had been for 
twenty years, and neither physicians nor divines were 
able to benefit her, either as to her body or her soul. 
At length she sent for Fox, the author of " The 
Book of Martyrs." Those who went with him. said 
that they never entered a more sorrowful or afflicted 
house. Several friends, relatives, and serva: 
by the sick woman, some on seats, some on the 
chamber floor, not weeping as in a common case of 
sorrow, but absolutely silent, as though their tears 
were all spent, scarcely noticing any that ( i 
The sick woman lay upon her bed, apparently near 
her end, faintly breathing forth a few words, which 
were in effect a desire to end her days. Fox did 
not attempt the ordinary methods of consolation, but 
prayed earnestly, pleading the faithfulness of God's 
promises, and Christ's Bufferings. This course he 
pursued for some days, though with but little i 
At length he told her, that she should not only re- 
cover from that disease, bul also live to 
and, what was far better, that she had an into! 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 305 

Christ, and should go to heaven. She, moved at his 
words, and earnestly beholding him, exclaimed that 
she should surely be damned, adding, " As well might 
you say, that if I should throw this glass against the 
wall, I might expect that it should not be broken in 
pieces." And immediately dashed down a Venice 
glass she had in her hand. It struck a chest, from 
whence it fell to the ground, without receiving the 
smallest injury. The event proved according to the 
words of Fox. Mrs. Honiwood, who was then sixty 
years of age, recovered, and lived till she was ninety, 
in peace and comfort, being able to reckon up three 
hundred and sixty-seven descendants. 

REV. E. CECIL. 
" I had been known," says one, " to Mr. Cecil, as an 
occasional hearer at St. John's, and by soliciting his 
advice at my commencing master of a family ; but 
some years had passed since I enjoyed the pleasure 
of speaking to him, when he called at my house on 
horseback, being then unable to walk, and desired to 
speak with me. After the usual salutations, he ad- 
dressed me thus : — ' I understand you are very dan- 
gerously situated !' He then paused. I replied, that 
I was not aware of it. He answered, ' I thought it 
was probable you were not ; and therefore I called 
on you ; I hear you are getting rich ; take care, for 
it is the road by which the devil leads thousands to 
destruction !' This was spoken with such solemnity 
and earnestness, that the impression will ever remain 
on my memory." 

20 



306 VARIOUS METHODS OF rsEFT'LNESS. 

THE SUFFERER COMFORTED. 
Dr. Payson one day called upon a sick person, who 
was very much troubled because she could not keep 
her mind all the time fixed upon Christ, on account 
of the distracting- influences of her sufferings, and the 
various objects and occurrences of the sick-room, 
which constantly called off her attention. S 
afraid that she did not love her Saviour, as she found 
it so difficult to fix her mind upon him. Dr. Payson 
said, " Suppose you were to see a sick little child, 
lying in its mother's lap, with its faculties impaired 
by its sufferings, so that it was generally in a troubled 
sleep ; but now and then, it just opens its eyes a little, 
and gets a glimpse of its mother's face, so as to be 
recalled to the recollection that it is in its mother's 
arms ; and suppose that always, at such a time, it 
should smile faintly with evident pleasure to find 
where it was ; should you doubt whether that child 
loved its mother or not !" The poor sufferer's doubt 
and despondency were gone in a moment. 

REV. W. E. MILLER. 
After his conversion, the Rev. W. E. Miller, in 
private amongst his friends, used persuasion of the 
most tender and importunate kind, to win them to 
Christ, never failing to bear witness to thi 
work wrought in his own heart, and extolling the 
free and all-sufficient grace of Cod. The following 
anecdote is told by one of the parties who furnished 
notes for his memoir, in illustration of tlii.s. " Iking 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 307 

at that time in the habit of visiting, professionally, 
the family of the late Lord , he took an oppor- 
tunity to rehearse to them the particulars of his con- 
version, thinking, like most young converts, that they 
had only to be told these wonderful things, in order 
to receive and embrace them. This was ' as bread 
cast on the waters,'' for, after the lapse of many years, 

the present Lord , who was then a youth, wrote 

to him, expressing his grateful remembrance of his 
visits to his father's house, and the religious testi- 
mony he bore. " This instance is only the pattern of 
a general practice. It shows, however, the heroic 
nature of his faith at this early period, as well as 
fidelity to God. He did not, like too many, " put his 
light under a bushel" or appear in the presence even 
of the noble and the wealthy, after his profession of 
Christ, as a criminal, with downcast looks and igno- 
minious shame. 

AN EXPERIMENT. 
"I think it was during the year 1834," says the 
Rev. J. S.,"I called upon an ingenious mechanic, 
who has since become noted for useful patented in- 
ventions, and who was a skeptic. I said to him, 
1 William, you are an ingenious person, and love to 
make experiments in chemistry, and other branches 
of science, — now, will you not be willing to make 
one experiment, in reference to that religion you 
deem a fable ? If it should be true, of course you 
wish to know it. If it is but a fable, you cannot be 
injured by the experiment, as it will be attended with 



308 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

no gTeat sacrifice, nor expense.' He replied, 
4 What do you wish me to do, in order to expr 
on such a mysterious subject?' ' I wish you to go 
into your closet every evening of the present week, 
commencing with this, (Monday,) and kneel down, 
and repeat the Lord's prayer, on your knees, and I 
will call again and see you on Saturday night. 1 He 
replied, ' I think I will,' and I left him. On Satur- 
day night I found him sitting bent forward, with his 
face resting on his hand, in a thoughtful mood. 
' Well, William, have you made the experiment 
agreed upon V He replied, after a sigh and a pause, 
' I have ; and I am at a loss to account for the opera- 
tion of my own mind. On Monday evening, about 
sunset, I ascended the steps leading to my bed-room, 
and kneeled down with no kind of seriousness. I 
recited the prayer, and laughed at what appeared a 
ridiculous absurdity! On Tuesday evening, on 
again to my retirement, I was affected in a more seri- 
ous manner. In ascending the stairs, my knees 
grew weak, I trembled, but knew not why. On 
Wednesday evening, when bowed on my knees, I 
found that the power of speech was withdrawn. I 
was a long time in a kneeling posture before I could 
utter a word. On Thursday and Friday evenings, I 
had to drag myself to the place, where I promised 
you I would repeat the Lord's prayer ; and had I not 
made an engagement on my honour, I would not 
have gone. This evening, I was longer on my 
knees than on any former evening ; and now 
it as my deliberate conviction, that man nc\ 



PRIVATE INTERCOURSE. 309 

ginated that form of prayer. I believe, also, that 
there is a Divine religion revealed in the Bible, and 
that there is an evil spirit, that has an influence on 
man, to hinder him in his praying efforts. What I 
may be hereafter, I know not. My peace is now in- 
terrupted, and I would like to be right.' 

" I gave him the best advice in my power. His in- 
fidelity received from this experiment a mortal blow, 
but it was more than two years before he experi- 
enced justification by faith. After his conversion 
he joined the M. E. Church, of which he continues 
a member until the present time." 

SAMUEL HICK. 
This singular but most devoted man was in the habit 
of visiting much among the sick, and as he was no 
respecter of persons, he attended people of every 
persuasion, and in every rank in life, to whom he 
could find access. Among others, he visited the 
wife of old William Hemsworth, who died in 1820. 
William and his sons, having united themselves to 
the Wesleyan society, were in the habit of accom- 
panying Samuel to different places, in his religious 
excursions. She, being a rigid Roman Catholic, 
looked upon Samuel as a heretic, leading them astray 
from the true faith. Affliction at length overtook 
her, on her route to the grave ; and, what was not a 
little singular, she sent for Samuel to pray with her. 
His prayers were effectual — her heart was smitten 
— the clouds of ignorance and superstition rolled off 
in succession from her understanding, like mists 



310 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNE88. 

from the face of a landscape before the morning sun. 
On the arrival of the priest, under whose guidance 
■he had been fur a number of years, he was 
to hei apartment ; but instead of waiting for instruc- 
tion, she upbraided him for not having inculcated 
upon her the necessity of the " new birth,'" stating at 
the same time, that she derived " more good from 
Sammy Hick's prayer, than from all that" she M had 
heard before, and that if" she recovered, she would 
" go among the Methodists." The daughter asked 
the priest to pray with her mother ; but supposing 
her too far gone in heresy for recovery, he retired, 
saying, "I have done with her." It is pleasing to 
add, that the woman died in possession of " perfect 
peace." 



ANSWERS TO PRAYER. 

REV. JOHN JANEWAT. 
The father of this eminently devoted young minister 
was Rev. Wm. Janeway, minister of Kelshall in 
Hertfordshire, England. Being sick, and under 
somewhat dark apprehensions as to the state of his 
soul, he would often say to his son John, " O ! son ! 
this passing into eternity is a great thing, this dying 
is a solemn business, and enough to make one's heart 
ache, that hath not his pardon sealed, and his evi- 
dence for heaven clear. And truly, son, I am under 
no small fears as to my own estate for another world. 
O that God would clear his love ! O that I could say 



ANSWERS TO PRAYER. 311 

cheerfully, ' I can, upon good grounds, be able to look 
death in the face, and venture upon eternity with 
well-grounded peace and comfort!"' 

Seeing his father continuing under despondings of 
spirit, (though no Christian that knew him but had a 
high esteem of him for his uprightness,) he got by 
himself, and spent some time in wrestling with God 
upon his account, earnestly begging of God that he 
would fill his father with joy unspeakable in believ- 
ing, that he might joyfully and honourably leave this 
world. After he was risen from his knees, he came 
down to his father, and asked him how he felt him- 
self. His father made him no answer for some time, 
but wept exceedingly, (a passion that he was not sub- 
ject to,) and continued for some considerable time 
weeping, so that he was not able to speak. But at 
last, having recovered himself, with unspeakable joy 
he burst out : " O son, now it is come ! it is come ! 
it is come ! it is come ! I bless God, I can die ; the 
Spirit of God hath witnessed with my spirit that I 
am his child. Now I can look up to God as my 
dear Father, and Christ as my Redeemer ; I can now 
say, ' This is my friend, and this is my beloved.' 
My heart is full, it is brimfull, I can hold no more. 
I know now what that sentence means, ' The peace 
of God which passeth understanding ;' I know now 
what that white stone is, wherein a new name is 
written, which none know but they who have it. 
And that fit of weeping which you saw me in, was a 
fit of overpowering love and joy, so great that I could 
not contain myself: neither can I express what glori- 



312 VARIOUS METHODS OF USEFULNESS. 

ous discoveries God hath made of himself unto me. 
And had that joy been greater, I question win 
could have borne it, and whether it would not have 
separated soul and body. Bless the Lord, O my 
soul ! and all that is within me, bless his holy name, 
that hath pardoned all nay sins, and sealed the par- 
don. He hath healed my wounds, and caused the 
bones which he hath broken to rejoice. O help me 
to bless the Lord ! He hath put a new song into my 
mouth : O bless the Lord for his infinite goodness ! 
O ! now I can die ! It is nothing, I bless God, I can 
die. I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ." 
You may well think that his son's heart was not a 
little refreshed to hear such words, and see such a 
sight, and to meet the messenger that he had sent to 
heaven, returned back again so speedily. It was so 
immediate and clear an answer of his own pravers, 
as if God had said to him, " Thy tears and prayers 
are heard for thy father : thou "hast, like a prince, 
prevailed with God ; thou hast got the blessing : go 
down and see." 

Upon this the young man too broke forth into 
praises, and even into an ecstasy of joy, th 
should deal so familiarly with him ; and the father 
and son together were so full of joy, light, life, love, 
and praise, that there was a little heaven in the place. 
He could not then but express himself in this man- 
ner : " O blessed, forever blessed be God for his in- 
finite grace! O who would not pray unto Cod? 
Verily, he is a God that heareth prayers, and that 
my soul knows right well." And then he told his 



ANSWERS TO PRAYER. 313 

joyful father how much he was affected with his for- 
mer despondings, and what he had been praying for 
just before, with all the earnestness he could. His 
father hearing this, and perceiving that his former 
comforts came by prayer, and his own child's prayer 
too, was the more refreshed, and the more confirmed 
that it was from the Spirit of God, and no delusion. 
And immediately, his son standing by, he fell into 
another fit of triumphant joy, his weak body being 
almost ready to sink under that great weight of glory 
that shone so powerfully upon his soul. He could 
then say, " Now let thy servant depart in peace ; for 
mine eyes have seen thy salvation." 

PRAYING FOR PAIR WEATHER. 
In the life of the Rev. Robert Blair, a Scottish 
minister of the seventeenth century, the following 
passage occurs : — 

" There having been incessant rain for a month in 
harvest, the corn was growing a finger-length in the 
sheaves, and the whole crop was in hazard of perish- 
ing. In this deplorable situation, the people resolv- 
ed solemnly, by humiliation and fasting, to beseech 
the Lord to avert the threatened famine. When the 
day came it rained heavily from morning till night ; 
so that the Lord seemed to be thrusting out their 
prayers from him. But that same night he sent a 
mighty wind, which did fully dry the corn and check 
the growing ; and this wind continuing to blow fair 
for two days, the people ceased neither night nor 
day, till the whole corn was got in. During these 



314 VARIOUS METHODS 01' I'Sl-FULNI. 

two days, I and two neighbouring ministers were 
continuing our supplications and thanksgivings to the 
Lord for this great mercy." 

"THE PRAYEB OP FAITH SHALL SAVE 
THE 9I0K." 

A clergyman, some time since, concluding a ser- 
mon to youth, took occasion to press upon parents 
the duty of parental faith, and illustrated its power in 
the following manner : — " About two-and-twenty 
years ago, a little circle were met around the appa- 
rently dying couch of a mfele infant ; the man of God 
who led their devotions, seemed to forget the sick- 
ness of the child in his prayer for his future useful- 
ness. He prayed for the child who had been con- 
secrated to God at its birth, as a man, a Christian, 
and a minister of the word. The parents were 
enabled to pray and believe with him. The child 
recovered, grew towards manhood, ran far in the 
ways of folly and sin. One after another of that 
little circle ascended to heaven ; but two of them at 
least, and one of them the mother, lived to hear him 
proclaim the everlasting gospel. It is," said the 
preacher, " no fiction : that child, that prodigal youth, 
that preacher, is he who now addresses you." 

LUTHER'S PRAYER FOR MELANCTHON. 
At a certain time Luther received an expn - 
ing that his bosom friend ami co-worker in the refor- 
mation, Philip Melancthon, was lying at the point of 
death ; upon which information lie immediately set 



ANSWERS TO PRAYER. 315 

out upon the journey of some hundred and fifty miles, 
to visit him, and upon his arrival he actually found 
all the distinctive features of death, such as the 
glazed eye, the cold clammy sweat, and insensible 
lethargy, upon him. Upon witnessing these sure in- 
dications of a speedy dissolution, as he mournfully 
bent over him, he exclaimed with great emotion, " O, 
how awful is the change wrought upon the visage of 
my dear brother !" On hearing this voice, to the 
astonishment of all present, Melancthon opened his 
eyes, and looking up into Luther's face, remarked, 
" O, Luther, is this you % Why don't you let me de- 
part in peace ?" Upon which Luther replied, " O 
no, Philip, we cannot spare you yet." Luther then 
turned away from the bed, and fell upon his knees, 
with his face towards the window, and began to 
wrestle with God in prayer, and to plead with great 
fervency, for more than an hour, the many proofs re- 
corded in Scripture of his being a prayer-hearing and 
a prayer-answering God ; and also how much he 
stood in need of the services of Melancthon, in fur- 
thering that cause, in which the honor and glory of 
God's great name, and the eternal welfare of unnum- 
bered millions of immortal souls, were so deeply in- 
terested ; and that God should not deny him this one 
request, to restore him the aid of his well-tried 
brother Melancthon. He then rose up from prayer, 
and went to the bedside again, and took Melancthon 
by the hand. Upon which Melancthon again re- 
marked, " O, dear Luther, why don't you let me de- 
part in peace V To which Luther again answered; 



316 VARIOUS METHODS OF 01 

" No, no, Philip, we cannot possibly spare you from 
the field of labour yet." Luther then requested the 
nurse to go and make him a dish of soup, according 
to his instructions ; which being prepared, was 
brought to Luther, who requested his friend M 
thon to eat of it. Mclancthon again asked him, " O, 
Luther, why will you not let me go home, and be at 
rest |" To which Luther replied as before, " Philip, 
we cannot spare you yet." Melancthon then ex- 
hibited a disinclination to partake of the nourishment 
prepared for him. Upon which Luther remarked, 
" Philip, eat, or I will excommunicate you." Me- 
lancthon then partook of the food prepared, and im- 
mediately grew better, and was speedily restored to 
his wonted health and strength again, and laboured 
for years afterwards with his coadjutors in the bless- 
ed cause of the reformation. 

Upon Luther's arrival at home, he narrated to his 
beloved wife Catharine the above circumstances, and 
added, " God gave me my brother Melancthon back 
in direct answer to prayer ;" and added further, with 
patriarchal simplicity, " God on a former occasion 
gave me also you back, Kata, in answer to my 
prayer." 



DELIVERANCE OF NEW-ENGLAND. 

" Blessings," says Dwight, " have in many instances 
been given, after fervent prayers have ascended to 
God, when none but God could have contributed to 
their existence ; when they were utterly unattaina- 



ANSWERS TO PRAYER. 317 

ble by any human efforts, and after all hope of obtain- 
ing them, except by prayer, had vanished. 

" I am bound, as an inhabitant of New-England, 
solemnly to declare, that, were there no other in- 
stances to be found in any other country, the bless- 
ings communicated to this would furnish ample satis- 
faction concerning this subject, to every sober, much 
more to every pious man. Among these, the de- 
struction of the French armament under the Duke 
D'Anville, in the year 1746, ought to be remember- 
ed with gratitude and admiration by every inhabitant 
of this country. This fleet consisted of forty ships 
of war ; was destined for the destruction of New- 
England; was of sufficient force to render that de- 
struction, in the ordinary progress of things, certain ; 
sailed from Chebucto, in Nova Scotia, for this pur- 
pose ; and was entirely destroyed, on the night fol- 
lowing a general fast throughout New-England, by 
a terrible tempest. Impious men, who regard not 
the work of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, 
and who, for that reason, are finally destroyed, may 
refuse to give God the glory of this most merciful 
interposition. But our ancestors had, and it is to be 
hoped their descendants ever will have, both piety 
and good sense sufficient to ascribe to Jehovah the 
greatness, and the power, and the victory, and the 
majesty ; and to bless the Lord God of Israel forever 
and ever." 



318 VARIOUS MI 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 



Ix his efforts to do good this apostolic minister [Rev. 

J. Fletcher] manifested a zeal and 

rarely seen, and was frequently rewarded with 

cess as striking- as the means employed to obtain it. 
A poor collier, still living a few years since, and 
upwards of eighty years of age, used to relate that 
in the former part of his life he was extremely pro- 
fligate, and that Mr. Fletcher frequently sought op- 
portunities to warn him of his danger : '* for,'* added 
he "he used always to run after such wicked fellows 
as I was whenever he saw us, in order that he might 
talk with us and warn us." Being aware of his 
pious minister's intentions, this man \\ : 
as soon as he saw him to run home with all speed 
and close the door before Mr. Fletcher could r< 
and thus, for many months together, he escaped his 
deserved reproofs. The holy man, however, still 
persevering in his attempts, on one occasion outran 
this determined sinner, and obtained possession of his 
house before him. The poor man, awed by tl 
sence of his minister, and softened by the persuasive 
kindness of his manner, was greatly affected, and re- 
ceived those religious impressions which soon ended 
in a thorough change of heart and life. 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 319 

REV. JOHN SMITH AND THE CORPORAL. 
Among those for whom Mr. Smith was peculiarly 
interested, was a corporal who once enjoyed religion, 
but who had forsaken God and his people. His wife 
was a pious woman : she mourned deeply on his ac- 
count, and perseveringly prayed for his restoration. 
It was one day impressed on Mr. Smith's mind to 
visit this man, and, accompanied by Mrs. S., he 
walked as far as the door of his house, where he 
met his wife. "Well, Mrs. B.," said he, "where 
is your husband V With much confusion, she re- 
plied, " Yonder he is, going to the races." " I will 
follow him," he said, and without entering the dwel- 
ling, hastily set off in the direction indicated. The 
corporal soon perceived that he was pursued, and 
quickening his pace, succeeded, before Mr. S. came 
up with him, in getting into a ferry-boat, which would 
have taken him across the river to within a few 
minutes' walk of the race-course. The boatman, 
however, had to put back for another passenger. 
This brought him near the friend whom he so much 
wished to shun, who solemnly accosted him with, 
" Did you pray about it before you set out V The 
inquiry fastened on his conscience : he went to the 
races, and was wretched : " Did you pray before you 
set out"?" still seemed to ring in his ears. He soon 
returned home, but he could not succeed in dislodg- 
ing the arrow which was fixed in his heart. When 
Mr. Smith next visited him, he was in deep distress. 
Mr. S. invited him to unite himself to the people of 



320 VARI0U8 METHOD8 OF ISF.Ff LN'ESS. 

God. He dill so, and never rested till the Lord 
healed his backslidings, and restored him to his 
favmir. He became a useful character, and an ac- 
tive class-leader in the regiment. 

KEY. J. SMITH AND THE PUBLII 
Mr. Smith's house was frequently resorted to by 
persons under the awakenings of the Holy Spirit, 
and scarcely a week elapsed in which it was not the 
scene of devout exultation, on account of the libera- 
tion of some captive soul. One afternoon, a stranger 
called in deep distress. Mr. S. invited him to take 
tea, and inquired into the means by which he had 
come under religious concern. He stated that his 

name was D , that he was a publican at Hamp- 

stead, and that for many years he had given himself 
up to the love and practice of vice. He never at- 
tended any place of worship, was a gambler, a hard 
drinker, and, in short, a sinner in almost every con- 
ceivable way. One of his companions in riot, having 
left his house in a state of intoxication, had fallen 
into a river and was drowned. This accident a 
him to alarm and inquiry, which was increased by 
the discovery that his own mind was so weakened, 
probably in consequence of intemperance, that he 
was unable to keep his accounts. He thought that 
he was about to lose his reason, and while under the 
influence of this distressing apprehension, the enor- 
mity of his past sins was powerfully presented to his 
mind, with the fear of something more awful than 
ov.ti madness. In this state, he recollected a pious 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 321 

person whom he had formerly known ; to him he ap- 
plied for counsel, and this friend brought him down 
to Windsor, that he might receive the benefit of Mr. 
Smith's direction and prayers. Such was the ac- 
count which he gave of himself; but his distress was 
so great, that before tea was concluded he was down 
upon the floor ; and it was a solemn spectacle, — to 
see a large, muscular man prostrated by extreme an- 
guish, while he groaned and prayed in unspeakable 
disquietude. It happened to be the night on which 
Mr. Smith met a class which he had formed, to the 
members of which, after the ordinary conversation 
had concluded, he introduced the case of this peni- 
tent, and requested their intercession on his behalf ; 
at the same time urging him to the exertion of faith 
in Christ, and the expectation of a present salvation. 
The struggle was continued for a considerable time. 
At length Mr. S. perceived that the man was relax- 
ing in his efforts. " What, will you give it up!" 
said he. Mr. D. complained of exhaustion. "You 
have danced for whole nights together," was the re- 
ply. " That's true," said the other, and with renew- 
ed energy he began again to cry to God ; nor did he 
rest till about eleven o'clock, when his guilt was re- 
moved, and he rejoiced in the assurance of the divine 
favour. The following morning, as he and Mr. S. 
were walking out, he suddenly stopped and cried, 
" O, my load is all returned !" In vain did -Mr. S. 
tell him, that this was only an effort of the tempter ; 
in vain did he remind him of the peace which he had 
before enjoyed. He remained almost on the verge 
21 



322 VARIOUS METHODS 01 I SS. 

iir the whole day. The religious services 
of the next, which was .Sunday, seemed to produce 
no benefieial effect on his mind. In the evening 
prayer-meeting he was again made the su!> 
special intercession. One of the friends employed to 
him an argument similar to that of N 
vants, — " If the prophet had bid thee do son.' 
thing, wouldst thou not have done r. 
said he, with an air of desperate energy, " 1 would 
stand and be shot." The meeting was continued to 
a late hour ; his strength was exhausted, but his soul 
refused comfort; and the next day he returned, 
promising that he would try to believe all the way 
home. He immediately disposed of his inn, and re- 
tired to a private house at lloxton. For some 
weeks his despondency continued, but at length the 
Comforter returned, and he wrote to Mr. Smith, giv- 
ing him an account of his deliverance. A short time 
afterward he took cold, fell into a rapid consumption, 
and died in peace. 

To the above the following instances may be ad- 
ded :— 

To several members of a large family residing in 
the neighbourhood of Nottingham, Mr. S. had been 
rendered very useful ; and the greater part of them 
were members of the society. The mother, how 
ever, lived without any sense of religion, and had a 
particular dislike to him. Her pious children had 
frequently solicited permission to invite him to the 
house, but this she strongly refused. One Sunday 
morning he ventured to call. The moment she saw 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 323 

him, she said he seemed to look through her, and she 
felt that he knew all that was in her heart. After he 
had taken some refreshment, and while a hymn was 
sung, she was smitten with deep conviction for sin, 
and when prayer was proposed, she was glad to kneel 
down, that she might not be observed to weep. 
While Mr. S. prayed, a peculiar divine influence 
rested upon all present, and when another person 
began to pray, he went to her and said, " Well, Mrs, 
B., you feel yourself a sinner !" " O yes," she re- 
plied. " And are you willing to give up your sins V 
Wringing her hands in deep anguish she rejoined, 
" O yes, sir, I am." He then exhorted her without 
delay to believe on Christ for present pardon. She 
instantly cried, " O Lord Jesus, I will believe ! O 
Lord Jesus, I do believe !" She was at once filled 
with a joy so extreme, that for a time it seemed 
to overwhelm her faculties ; — she immediately 
united herself to the people she had once despised, 
and continued an example of God's abundant 
grace. 

In the beginning of the year 1828, Mr. Smith's 
health began to decline. One day when he was very 
unwell, a person called and said he must see him, as 
he had come upwards of twenty miles for that pur- 
pose. His urgency procured him admission to the 
chamber where Mr. S. was confined to his bed, suf- 
fering at once from weakness and pain. The man 
told him that he had been a backslider, and that for 
some time past he had been under deep convictions 
of sin ; that he had sought the Lord with many tears, 



I II NESS. 

and bad lasted and prayed, but still remained without 
comfort. " Yes," .- 
so :i long time, and be no better, unle?- 
God. Vou do not need to leave this room without 
salvation. God would rather save you to-day than 
to-morrow. You may die to-day, and if you die un- 
pardoned you are lost forever: but God u . 

i. He says it, and he means what he says." 
»' But," said the man, " if I should believe and not 
get the blessing !" " Do not meddle with God's busi- 
ness," replied Mr. S. " But it is God that saves the 
soul, is it not ?" " Yes ; but it is not God's work to 
believe, that's your business. Do your part, man, 
and God will do his. Go down on your knees and 
ask God to save you at once." He did as he was 
directed. Mr. S. then turned himself in 1" 
began to pray, but finding that his strength was gone, 
he stopped and said, M We cann farther, 

unless you will believe. How long is ( . ■ 
to wait for you 1" " I will believe," cried Ik 
tent, " I will believe ; I cannot do wrong in 
ing. I do believe." God answered in a moment, 
and filled him with such joy that he literally 
on his knees. "Did I not tell you," said Mr. S., 
exultingly, " that God would attend to Ins own busi- 
ness 1" The poor fellow rose, kissed Mr. Smith*! 
band, and hurried home in unspeakable delight. 

Mr. II. Beeson of Sheffield gives the fo 
account of a visit paid by Mr. S. in April, 16 \ 
dying backslider in that town. u J. W. 
of pious parents, and a child of many pray* 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 325 

admonitions. He had at one period of his life known 
the power of divine grace ; but he unhappily turned 
aside from following the Lord, and for a number of 
years had persevered in his rebellious course, when 
it pleased the Lord to afflict him ; or, as Mr. S. used 
to say, ' God took him aside to remonstrate with 
him.' His friends became very assiduous in their 
attention to his spiritual interests, but such was the 
carnal obstinacy of his heart, that he appeared rather 
annoyed than profited. Several weeks passed ; his 
disease was making fearful progress ; he began to 
yield, was brought into bitterness of soul, and in this 
state Mr. S. found him. He said that he was very 
unhappy, that he had been seeking the Lord, but had 
not obtained mercy. Mr. S. seemed to enter into a 
deep sympathy for him, and inquired whether he 
rested on Christ for salvation. He replied that he 
did. ' Well, then, God accepts you in Christ, and 
God accepts you now in Christ,' repeating the de- 
claration again and again with much emphasis. He 
spoke and prayed for nearly an hour, and while he 
was pleading the promise, ' I will heal their back- 
slidings,' &c, the man was clearly set at liberty ; and 
notwithstanding his weakness, he rose up in bed and 
shouted the praises of God with such energy, that 
his voice overpowered the voices of all present." 

" JN PRISON AND YE VISITED ME." 
Nothing is more striking in the history of the first 
Methodists than their labours of love in prisons. 
Nor were these labours without success. The fol- 



LSS. 

lowing i \ Moore 

furnish illustrations. 

u I began," says Mr. M., " to visit the sick, and those 

m. in company with my band-mates, and others 

>urs of love, several years 

mgers* 

Friend G occasions we had to wit- 

«• most appalling scenes of disease, am! 
species of misery. The; :iat time made 

dreadful havoc among the prisoners, and I was 
warned against its pestilential effects ; but ' my hope 
was full of immortality,' and I had rather ' a desire 
to depart,' knowing that I should ' be with Christ.* 
T felt also what Mr. Charles Wesley osed to call ' a 
cowardly fear of life.' I therefore shunned not any 
sick-bed, nor the dreadful fever-ward of the Dublin 
Newgate. 

" Upon one of these occasions I was introduced by 
the turnkey to the cell of the condemned prisoners, 
where I found a young man, a soldier, under sentence 
of death ; but the fever seemed very near delivering 
him from the executioner. I continued to \ . 
and he soon amended. He was an Englishman, and 
his name was St. George ; and being rather a su- 
perior young man, I made further inquiries respect- 
ing him, and found he had been favoured whl 
religions knowledge, and it was ' not in word only ;' 
but he declined from it after he entered the army, 
and at length became s<> abandoned, that li< 
others of the same corps, became a highway 
Hut his career was soon mercifully stopped ; for in 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 327 

an attack on a post-chaise, at night, in the Phoenix 
Park, a gentleman fired from the chaise ; and St. 
George, who was foremost, had his arm shattered 
by the ball. His companions escaped, but he was 
taken on the spot. The case was clear, and he was 
condemned to die, and would certainly have been 
executed, (as many of the soldiers then in garrison 
were become notorious robbers,) but his name saved 
him. The lady of Lord St. George, a very eminent 
family in Ireland, a daughter of which had a little be- 
fore become duchess of Leinster, declared, it seems, 
that she could not live if one of that name was hang- 
ed ! The lord lieutenant could not stand out against 
her distress and importunity, and St. George's life 



" He informed me that while he was engaged in 
his vicious career, he had the most dreadful convic- 
tions for sin ; and that when he felt the shot take 
place, he thanked God in his heart that he had ar- 
rested him even thus in his dreadful course, and he 
now anticipated death with satisfaction. The Lord 
was very gracious to him in his confinement, and had 
healed his backsliding. I had much fellowship with 
him in the ' Friend of sinners,' and parted from him 
with regret. He was sent to one of the foreign set- 
tlements — I believe to Africa — to serve for life in a 
corps stationed there. 

" We continued our merciful visits, and received 
much blessing and encouragement from the Lord. I 
have known malefactors die, not only in peace, but 
with joy, while they abhorred themselves ! One 



328 VARIOUS METHOD^ 

case was singular. A condemned felon of the name 

Romanist, received with 
• 

only insensible to the horrors ol ion, but 

d than any oi 

He had also a most disagreeable and 
forbidding countenance, — a villain in I 

>tood up when we spoke 
or prayed, but immediately after resumed his v. 
ed pallet, and seemed as careless as ever 
night, however, after we had left him and his wretch- 
ed companions, as I was informed, he suddenly rose, 
and dashed himself, irons and all, against the stone 
floor of the cell, with such violence that those who 
were with him were apprehensive that his death 
would be the consequence, and that perhaps he had 
so designed it. lie was raised up, but he immedi- 
ately attempted the same violence again. Al 
he became horribly quiet, proclaiming his perdition 
as certain; and this doom having come froo 
there could be no mercy for him. He continued in 
this state for a few days, thankful to those wh 
to him, but refusing all comfort. I was at length in- 
formed that God had spoken peace to his troubled 
soul. I hastened to the jail, and being admitted to 
the cell, I eagerly inquired for Hoggins ; he was 
standing near to me, but I really did not know him! 
A countenance so transformed I never beheld. He 
was quite changed in aspect ! The 
was evident in his features, and his whole t'r.i 
took of the happiness of his spirit. In this H 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 329 

lived and died, proclaiming his guilt and sin, and the 
mercy of God in Christ Jesus. The astonishing 
change had a good effect on his fellow-sufferers ; for 
as they were all going to execution, one of them, a 
Protestant, who was deeply penitent, regarded Hug- 
gins (whose face shone with happiness) with feel- 
ings that could not be uttered ; frequently crying out, 
' O Lord, give me an item of it ;' that is, of pardon, 
which he knew Huggins possessed. The Popish 
priest, who attended on horseback at the place of 
execution, and drew up to the side of the cart, knew 
not what to think respecting Huggins. He seemed 
to regard him as the priests did Madame Guion, when 
they confessed her, and were confounded at the 
depth and purity of her religion ; or like Latimer 
while confessing Bilney the martyr. When the 
criminals had repeated the usual prayers after the 
priest, he pronounced them ready to die ! Huggins 
immediately broke out in prayer and praise, and be- 
gan to exhort the people, especially the young men. 
' Hold your tongue, sirrah ! hold your tongue, I say !' 
vociferated the zealous priest. ' Sir,' said Huggins, 
' the Lord encourages me ; I cannot be silent.' The 
whole scene was highly impressive : the sheriffs and 
officers seemed astonished. The happy criminal 
was soon translated to the paradise of God." 



330 VARIOUS METHODS 01 1.38. 

ALEXANDER PATRICK. 
The late Alexander Patrick, of Airdrie, in Scotland, 
ihhoogh regularly employed as a local preacher, 
devoted himself chiefly to private personal appeals, 
—it being in the class-room, or by the fire-side, that 
himself most in his pl.t - distin- 

guished by the readiness with which he could sim- 
plify and insinuate the truth. The following illus- 
trations are given by the Rev. John Drake, of the 
way he was wont to take in bringing his auditors to 
actual saving faith. " He would dwell with delight 
on the universality, the fulness, the freeness, and 
the readiness of the mercy of Christ ; but, said he, 
' Suppose I be hungry, and there be ever so much 
food in the press, what am I the better of it if the 
door be locked ? And if it even be brought out and 
dressed for me, is my hunger appeased by that cir- 
cumstance] Nay, although 'tis served up on the 
table in braw dishes, with knives, and spoons, and 
every convenience, and I be actually sitting bv 
and hungry, it will still do me na guid. Tis for 
me ; I am welcome ; all things are ready ; j 
unless I cut and eat, I may and will, for all that, 
perish with hunger. Just so it is with the .. 
I must not only know about Christ, that He 
and willing, and waiting to save me, but I must be- 
lieve on Him, trust in Him, take Him as i 
viour, and lord on Him in my heart by faith, 
cept ye eal the flesh of the Sun of man, and drink 
his blood, ye have no life in you.' This little illus- 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 331 

tration was much used by our friend ; and when 
given in his broad Scottish accent, with allusions to 
the customs which he knew to obtain in the family 
where he employed it, it has often been very effect- 
ive in teaching the inmates the nature of simple 
faith, and persuading them to exert it. 

" On another occasion, having to deal with a per- 
son who had long rested in mere dogmas and theo- 
ry, which had left his heart unchanged, and to 
whom the act of personal faith was unintelligible, 
Alexander Patrick, in order to point out his duty, 
and to encourage him to perform it, ' put his hand 
into his pocket, and drawing out a shilling he said, 
' Weel, noo, brother C, were I to say I'll give you 
this shilling, wad ye believe me V ' Yes, I would, 
for ye're no trifler, Sandy.' ' And what, then, wad 
ye da, if ye thocht me in earnest V ' Why, I'd 
reach out my hand and take it.' ' Very well, God 
has in like manner gied his Son Jesus Christ for 
you, and to you ; and if ye would believe, ye maun 
just tak Him, and trust in Him.' ' 0! but I have 
been such a sinner.' ' Ah weel, but God does na 
reject sinners because they ha' sinned, but because 
they winna believe on, and lip-pen (listen or hearken) 
to his Son.' 'Well,' said C, with animation, 
1 d'ye say so, Sandy 1 If God will not send me to 
hell for my sin only, he shall not for my unbelief. I 
will believe, I do believe, I believe just now ; O Je- 
sus, thou art my Lord, my God !' At this moment 
he was accepting and trusting in the Saviour, and 
the token of divine acceptance was instantly afforded ; 



332 VARIOUS METHODS Off BM. 

■ •hains fell off, 

irit witnessed to his spirit that he wa 
a child of God. The assembh d 

remained only to rejoic I 'od had 

made known so fully and clearly his readiness to 

pardon. And this person, r some 

he genuinen- u lately 

been called home to God, dying in the faith." 

In another instance " an intelligent female, who 
was labouring under a deep sense of sin, wa- 
hy Mr. Patrick, and notwithstanding all his encou- 
ragements and prayers, she seemed to be only in- 
creasingly distressed, and almost in despair. At 
length, while on their knees. Mr. P. said to her, 
' Let us sit up a wee ;' and placing himself beside 
her, and looking steadily in her face, he said, ' Do 
ye believe the Bible V l 1 do,' she replied, 
ye tell me wha made the world V She smiled a lit- 
tle contemptuously, and after a pause said. ' 
God.' To which he replied, ' How d'ye ken ? were 
ye there to see V She seemed surprised, perc 
that there was evidently more meant by the ques- 
tion than she had supposed, and then ram 
4 No, I was not there, but the word 
that he made it.' ' Ah, well, the a' that 

e Bays, d'ye V She said ' Fee. 1 'Ah, 
we'll sec ; ' Tins is my beloved Son, in whom 
will pleased, luar ye Sim. 1 Wha says that!' 

'The Father. 1 'Weei,willye< ihiMdi 

ye ' He commands ye to hear the Sun.' To this 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 333 

she assented. ' Weel, then, what does the Son 
say 1 ' Him that cometh to me I will in no wise 
cast out.' ' Come unto me, and I will give you 
rest.' To the woman in the gospel he said, ' Daugh- 
ter, thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven thee,' 
and will he no say the same to you 1 Is he no 
saying it even the noo ! Ye dinna believe that, ye 
dinna believe him. I telt ye, ye dinna believe a' 
the Bible.' She instantly saw the shame and 
sin of not trusting in a promising, present Redeemer, 
and as instantly ventured upon his mercy. Con- 
fiding in the love and power and truth of the world's 
Redeemer, she trusted herself in his hands, and 
found the peace she sought. The word of acquittal 
was applied to her conscience, not by her own will, 
which would have been presumption, but by the Spi- 
rit of God, who attested his divine presence by the 
love, joy, and peace which he then diffused through 
her humble soul." 

" On returning from preaching one night in Kil- 
bride, a person followed Alexander Patrick, and 
showed signs of a wish to enter into conversation. 
Mr. P. inquired whether he had been to the meet- 
ing. The stranger replied that he had, and liked to 
hear the preaching, adding, ' but, man, I am a queer 
sinner.' ' Pray, what kind of a sinner is that V in- 
quired Mr. P. But, as the man seemed willing to 
enter upon particulars immediately, and the labour 
of preaching had greatly heated him, Mr. P. declined 
pursuing the conversation further at present, but en- 
gaged to call on him the next day. He did so, and 



I VAEIOUI M t.ss. 

waa cordially wclc<>: Bible being brought 

and laid before bin., le to use it himself, 

mit of his Mi • jucstcd his host lo 

portion ; but this was resolutely refused, and 
with a manifestation "t" feeling that irai very extra- 
ordinary. The following conversation brought out 
the facts, that this miserable man was in the state 
of habitual despair, persuading himself that I 
oue of those characters described in Hebn 
4-6, whom it is impossible to renew again into re- 
pentance ; that whenever he opened his Bible, 
this terrible passage seemed always to be ready to 
meet his eye ; and it had often occasioned so much 
terror to him, that he frequently hurled the book 
from him as far as he could. Our friend, it seems, 
did not inquire into the nature of his imaginary sin, 
but applied himself to* show that he misunderstood 
the passage, giving, as nil that the per- 

sons referred to had had, in proof of the truth of 
Christianity, both the outward evident-. 
and the inward one of personal pardon n 
their own souls by the witness of the Holy < 
and that they had afterwards so fallen away as to 
renounce the gospel from principle, and to treat the 
Lord Jesus as an impostor, and moi 
nately persisted in that rejection. ' Is this like 
yoursel !' said he. 'Why mon, yi 
enough ye'ie aye vexed and awfo fasdn 
cause of your fall. In a' this ye're no minded to 
mock the Lord, but to mourn your Lot 
•i wee thought of the blessed words of Christ : ' All 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 335 

manner of sin and iniquity shall be forgiven the sons 
of men.' Why, mon, Christ says this till you : he 
says it till you even the noo. Look up, mon ; be 
not faithless, but believing. This is the accepted 
time, and the day of salvation.' The affectionate 
warmth and the fervent confidence with which these 
words were uttered, under the divine blessing, 
roused the hopes of the poor desponding soul. 
He was persuaded to pray, and directed to look to 
the Saviour as willing and waiting to save even 
him ; and while he was yet speaking, the Lord 
heard and delivered him, filling his soul with confi- 
dence and peace. A complete change was made 
in his feelings and purposes at that hour. His con- 
version was sudden, but proved to be real by the 
blameless life he was enabled thenceforth to lead ; 
and about two or three years afterwards he died in 
the faith, triumphing in his last moments in the con- 
fident hope of eternal life." 

" LORD, SHOW ME THYSELF." 
The following interesting incident, connected with 
the Rev. Hector M'Phail, an old highland minister, 
is related by the Rev. T. M. Fraser, of Yester. On 
one occasion he was appointed to attend the Gene- 
ral Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which sits 
in Edinburgh. At that time there were no such con- 
veniences for travelling as those to which we are 
now accustomed ; and the only resource which the 
minister then had was to travel on horseback. From 
so distant a home as his, travelling at the rate of 



AKI0U8 ME1 

from tl: 

Id fre- 
quently oblige him to pass the night in the I 

us comfortable inns upon 
It will i to he told that 

MThail's invaria: ■': to hold 

family worship in tl -t upon 

ndanee of every individual inm . 
one night at a little inn amid the wild hills of 

lire, he summoned, as usual, the fain.: 
thcr for devotional purposes. When all had been 

. the Biblea produced, and the gieq 
waiting the commencement of the d< 
M'Phail looked around him, and asked « 
every inmate of the house were present. The land- 
lord replied in the affirmative. " All r ■gain in- 
quired the minister. ' STes,' answered the host, 
k we ;ire all In re ; there is a little lassie in the 
kitchen, bnt we never think of askm 
she is so dirty that she is not lit I 
call in the lassie, 1 .-aid Mr. M'Phail. I . 
the Bible which he had Opened ; ' we will \. 
sheeomes.' The landlord apologized. The 
ter was perempto: ullery-maid had a 

soul, and a very precious one," he said ; ' and if she 

A in the habit of being summoned to family 
worship, all the greater was her need of joining them 
now.' Not one word would he utter until tkn 
Lei her, then, he called ill. The In 

ooneented ; the kitchen-girl was taken in to join the 
circle, and the evening worship proc 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 337 

the devotions were concluded, Mr. M'Phail called 
the little girl aside, and began to question her about 
her soul and its eternal interests. He found her in 
a state of the most deplorable ignorance. ' Who 
made you ?' asked the minister, putting the usual in- 
troductory question to a child. The girl did not 
know. ' Do you know that you have a soul V ' No ; 
I never heard that I had one. What is a soul V ' Do 
you ever pray V 'I don't know what you mean.' 
'Well, I am going to Edinburgh, and I will bring 
you a little neck-kerchief if you promise to say a 
prayer that I will teach you ; it is very short, there 
are only four words in it — ' Lord, show me myself;'* 
and if you repeat this, night and morning, I will not 
forget to bring you what I have promised.' The 
little kitchen-maid was delighted ; a new piece of 
dress was a phenomenon she had rarely witnessed. 
The idea was enchanting ; the condition was easy ; 
Mr. M'Phail, after explaining, no doubt, the mean- 
ing and force of the prayer, retired to rest, and next 
morning resumed his journey. Before he returned 
from Edinburgh, Mr. M'Phail did not forget the pro- 
mise he had made to the little highland maid ; he 
purchased the trifling present that was to make her 
happy. On his arrival at the inn, he again sum- 
moned the household to the worship of God. Again, 
however, the little kitchen-maid is absent, and again 
he inquires the cause. But it is now a different 
reason that withholds her. ' Indeed, sir,' replied 
the hostess to Mr. M'Phail's inquiry, ' she has been 
of little use since you were here ; she has done no- 
22 



338 VARIOUS METHODS OJ l.sS. 

tliiiiu' but hit and rry night and day, and now the is 
so weak and -e from 

■ | i 

immedi 

ing tli« 

a hole : 

lay upon a straw bed, a picture of mental agony and 

spiritual distress. 

bte no, affectionately addressing her, 'here is the 

neck-kerchief I have brought you from Edinburgh ; 

I hope you have dour what you promii 

the prayer that I taught you.' * O no. sir, no, 

ike your present; a dear gin it 
me : you taught me a prayer that 
in an awful way ; lie has shown mt 
what a sight that is ! Minister, minister, wh 
1 need not say how rejoiced the I 
man of God « 

had been dealing with this young soul, and tl 
though still operatin ." in the 

production of a true though partial and 
feet faith, thi : hopeful ai 

long. He would exhibit himself as 'the spirit of 
adoption, 1 generating in her heart a full and 
trust, and leading h< Rather, 1 Hut 

:oncile such an experience with the 
opinion which denies to the Holy Ohost any special 

• -to.»vl as havinf 
"••'II esn unt lor t*S Corn 

•J Hit- laoguafs usod by the Utt)< ■•. even a 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 339 

agency in conversion, giving to each of the human 
race a certain modicum of influence, to be commu- 
nicated only through the medium of the Word ? 
Whence had this child derived, in the course of lit- 
tle more than a fortnight, and through the use of 
such prayer, this experimental acquaintance with 
her own heart ? Read the Word she could not ; 
sympathy of feeling in the careless household was 
out of the question ; whence, then, that mysterious 
ray which all at once illumed the darkened chamber 
of the soul, and as it shot its clear strong light 
through the once benighted understanding, exposed 
in all its barrenness the deformity of self? It was 
the Spirit of God that wrought independently of the 
Word, and came into ' warm contact" with her liv- 
ing soul in a manner altogether special, and hitherto 
unknown by herself or a carnal world. It was ' the 
Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, 
because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him :' 
but she knew Him, for He dwelt with her and was 
in her. On no other principle can we account for 
the fact, that one but a few weeks ago so totally ig- 
norant that she had asked, ' What is a soul V should 
now have been able to pursue that most difficult and 
severe of all subjective mental processes — the reflex 
inspection of self. Now, this is no fictitious case 
got up for the occasion ; ' I tell but what was told to 
me ;' but who that reads it can deny the absolute 
necessity of a special agency, and a personal and 
immediate indwelling of the blessed Spirit, sent 
forth into the soul in answer to the prayer. ' Lord, 



I VARIOUS METHODS 0> 

After some further conYeraa- 

MTInil opened up to the dial reused girl 

• :!iud of sal vat '-ed the 

if by reeoamending the use of another, and 

•qoafljahortaodeomprelx J, show 

minister was once 

again on his way to his still distant home. Hut he 

' find it again *rs had 

this memorable journey, and tin 
ous and wiry minister, who could ride forty D 

- k without intermission, was now be- 
come an old and feeble man, worn out in hie Maa- 

ervice, scarcely any longer '•] 
cause already ' spent,' for < Ihrist On- 
v;mt intimated that a stranger was desirous to speak 
with him. lVrmis: 

matrariy woman m 

rod in bet band 

know me, Mr. MThail,' said the perse: 
dest and deferential air. The m 
rtainly did nol 

member ■ little scullery-maid at inn, ia 

soul you once took ■ deep interest apon yoni jour- 
ney to Edinburgh V Mr. M'Phail had 
eoUeetion oftheerenta. ' 1 was that little gi 
taught me two shorl bui 
By the first l htto feel my i 

riour; by the second I was led t<» behold tl 
vmiir himself, and to view Jehovah in the oh 

BCOnciled (iodand father IB Christ. I am 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 341 

now respectably married, and comfortably settled in 
life ; and although the mother of a numerous family, 
have travelled far to see your face, and to cheer 
you, by telling with my own lips the glorious things 
which, by your means, the Lord has been pleased 
to do for my soul.' Before parting with Mr. M'Phail 
she entreated his acceptance of the parcel she car- 
ried, which contained a large web of linen of her 
own spinning, made long before, for the purpose of 
being presented to the blessed and beloved old man, 
should she ever be permitted to see his face in the 
flesh once more. She lived for many years, not 
only a consistent character, but an eminently holy 
Christian." 

KEY. JOHN RYLAETD. 
The late Rev. John Ryland, of Northampton, being 
on a journey, was overtaken by a violent storm, and 
compelled to take shelter in the first inn he came 
to. The people of the house treated him with great 
kindness and hospitality. They would fain have 
shown him into a parlour, but being very wet and 
cold, he begged permission rather to take a seat by 
the fireside with the family. The good old man 
was friendly, cheerful, and well stored with enter- 
taining anecdotes, — and the family did their utmost 
to make him comfortable ; they all supped together, 
and both the residents and the guest seemed mu- 
tually pleased with each other. At length, when 
the house was cleared, the stranger appeared un- 
easy, and looked up every time a door opened, as if 



•i METHOI'S 

- cham- 
■ 
■■ 
' Had my 1 i I I 

1 don't kn«»\v what you aeai 
landlord. "To re to pray 

with t! 

i the omission of so necessary a 
The landlord had never thought 

of doing such a thing. "Then, Mr. Ky- 

land, M 1 most beg you to order inv horse imme- 
diately." The landlord and family entreat 
not to BxpOM himself to the inclemency of the wea- 
tlnr at that late hour of the night ; observing, that 
the Storm w:i> as violent as \vh 

." n-pli. .1 Mr. K. ■• but I had rather 

khi Mora than venture to sleep in a house 

whrrr tin re :»at may 

befall di I- fore morning ! No,i 

Mr. It. proposed to ronduet family worel 

all readily eonaented. The family being assembled, 

Mr. R. called for a Bible; hut no such boot 

iced. VLowt 

•leney, as he always earned a small Bible 

lament in his pocket. 11"- read i po iti oi of 

Scripture, and prayed with much fervour I 
leinnity, acknowledging the goodness of Qod, that 
DOM had DOM stnn-k dead bv the storm, and 
implorin m throogh the aight. He ear* 

ni mK prayed that the attention of all might be awa- 



SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS. 343 

kened to the things belonging to their everlasting 
peace, and that the family might never again meet 
in the morning, or separate at night, without prayer. 
A deep impression was made on the family, and 
much interesting conversation ensued when worship 
was over. Mr. Ryland conducted family worship 
next morning, and obtained from the landlord a pro- 
mise, that, however feebly performed, it should not 
in future be omitted. This was indeed the beginning 
of days to the family ; most, if not all of them, be- 
came sincere followers of the Lord Jesus, and were 
instrumental in diffusing a knowledge of the gospel 
in a neighbourhood which had before been remark- 
ably dark and destitute. 

"I SHALL THANK GOD THROUGH ALL ETER- 
NITY THAT I EYER SAW YOU." 
A minister asked the maid at an inn in the Nether- 
lands if she prayed to God 1 She replied, she " had 
scarce time to eat, how should she have time to 
pray ?" He promised to give her a little money if, 
on his return, she could assure him she had mean- 
while said three words of prayer, night and morning. 
Only three words and a reward led her to make him 
the promise. He then solemnly gave her the follow- 
ing words to repeat, — "Lord, save me!" For a 
fortnight she said the words unmeaningly ; but one 
night she wondered what they meant, and why he 
bade her repeat them. God put it into her heart to 
look at the Bible, and see if it would tell her. She 
liked some verses where she opened so well, that 



I0U1 MFTHOM OP USEFULNESS. 

she looked again, and so on. 
■ 

her, as a stranger sei £Ot too 

good for my place, and liv- 

1 
shall thank God through all eternity that I ever saw 

I want not ti ,ire reward enough 

ted how 
sahratiofl by Je^us Christ was taught her I 
Bible, in answer to this p 



REPROOF. 

CAUSTIC ; 

<K om oeeaaion, when at Bath, he met, in the 
travellers 1 room, several unusually pr< 
who on the Sabbath invited tradi 

pend the day with thern. After dinMC 
Mr. Sponoe hmnediately retin that ho 

to the Mi t:. 

. 
j about Imn," amid they, as he re- 
Hut when he returned in the 
found them fashed with wine and prepared I 
and persecute. One of them in pan 

profanely merry at the expense of Method- 



REPROOF. 345 

ism. Mr. Spence knew how to " answer a fool ac- 
cording to his folly :" and with a severity he could 
well assume, (selecting this man to reprove the rest,) 
said to him, " Sir, did you ever read Esop's Fables ?" 
The man answered in the affirmative. " Then, sir, 
you must remember the fable of the bear and the 
poultry ?" " I do not recollect it ; will you repeat 
it ■?" " A bear," proceeded Mr. Spence, relating sub- 
stantially the apologue, " that was bred on the savage 
deserts of Siberia, had an inclination to see the world. 
He travelled from forest to forest, from one kingdom 
to another, making many profound observations in 
his way. Among the rest of his excursions he came 
by accident into a farmer's yard, where he saw a 
number of poultry standing to drink by the side of a 
pool. Observing that at every sip they turned up 
their heads towards the sky, he could not forbear in- 
quiring the reason of so peculiar a ceremony. They 
told him that it was by way of returning thanks to 
Heaven for the benefits they received ; and was in- 
deed an ancient and religious custom, which they 
could not with a safe conscience, or without impiety, 
omit. Here the bear burst into a fit of laughter ; at 
once mimicking their gestures, and ridiculing their 
superstition, in the most contemptuous manner. On 
this the cock, with a spirit suitable to the boldness 
of his character, addressed him in the following 
words : ' As you are a stranger, sir, perhaps you may 
be excused the indecency of this behaviour ; yet give 
me leave to tell you, that none but a bear would ridi- 
cule any religious ceremonies whatsoever, in the pre- 



METHODS Of ;• .»». 

sence of those who beli. 

in wm Co; ! shared b 

tine as 

ceived the most serioua and ret] 

r time since, an aged clergyman wa> 
1 incr in he com- 

tuu or three yOQJIg men, who were rather 
inclined to amuse him gad one another by frivolous 

■use himself to 
H :.|> arouse.! 

...ions, who wished for nil 

it on which 

them hud mi. I, "that he would rather Mieve the 

. i it was submitted to the 

which of these books he thought 

been awaken* d from sputes, 

but, however, said, he was hap;' 

oforraation respecting the Koran, and 
accordingly in ...1 » ho 

would rather believe the Koran than th> 

il was. whether it was divide 
chapters and v. r>. b, like our Bib 

;l'l nut inform him ; and the minis;. 

ok, inquired a 
little further, ami found that he : 

Koran, an. I had nevt . a, "said 



REPROOF. 347 

he, " gentlemen, is it fair that I should be awaked 
from my sleep, to decide a question thus raised by a 
man who knows nothing of either of the books of 
which he speaks 1 Surely it is not too much to 
ask men to read what they condemn ; and if you will 
all take my advice, you will immediately apply your- 
selves to the prayerful study of the word of God, 
which is able to make you wise unto salvation. 
You will then not have occasion to inquire whether 
the Koran or any other work is equally entitled to 
your belief, but you will know, and be assured, that 
it is indeed the word and truth of God." 

REV. LEMUEL HAYNES AND THE SCOFFERS. 
Of Mr. Haynes, the coloured preacher, it is said, that 
some time after the publication of his sermon on the 
text, " Thou shalt not surely die," two reckless 
young men having agreed together to try his wit, 
one of them said, " Father Haynes, have you heard 
the good news V " No," said Mr. Haynes, " what 
is it V " It is great news indeed," said the other, 
" and, if true, your business is done." " What is 
it V again inquired Mr. Haynes. " Why," said the 
first, " the devil is dead." In a moment the old 
gentleman replied, lifting up both hands, and placing 
them on the heads of the young men, and in a tone 
of solemn concern, " O, poor fatherless children ! 
what will become of you ?" 



ARIOCS METHODS \E88. 

Ax inst lant and sarcastic severity 

with which Mr. Isaac son. 

fanity occurred whflfl be was Rationed in il. 

:ig, and 
!y emboldened by, the example of a London 
tradesnj bis shop 

H a hideous and obscene picture, as l 
i of the sacred Trinity ; and, surpassing the 
metropolitan in utter and shameless profanity, attach- 
ed a label to the picture, to the - . }»ortrait 
of the devil was wanted as a C picture. 
This cauLjlit M :-sed, and his 
kfl awakened. Stepping into a 
eet, he 
asked for pea, ink, and paper, ami hastily scrawling 
these words, addressed them to the offender 
want a portrait of the devil, get yc> 
tor who so like the father as t: 
Mr. I. to th< 
lake thai to the vile fellow acr< 

man declined, perhaps ihiokin 
hourly, or fearing an unpleasant result, 
take it," .said Mr. I 

abroad, tor lh< friends ; 

and, in ' e vagrant boy, 

and thru another wicked urchin, would put his head 

tde tin- ilooi . :he wia- 

m 1m--!i the offensi 1 1 

I, and call out, f$T wko 



REPROOF. 349 

so like the father as the son ?" On the following 
day, quite a crowd of youngsters was assembled, and 
the inquiry was repeated in almost every possible 
modulation of voice, until the wretched man was so 
annoyed that he called in the aid of the police. This 
but increased the notoriety of the rebuke, and that 
again swelled the numbers of the crowd. The pub- 
lic feeling, too, was with the boys, for common de- 
cency had been outraged. The result was, that in 
the course of two or three days the man was obliged 
to close his shop and decamp, unable to withstand the 
torrent of ridicule and contempt which Mr. Isaac had 
been the means of turning upon him. 

A STRAIGHT WAY. 
It is stated, that as an eloquent preacher delivered 
a discourse, in which he set forth the intense and 
eternal torments of the finally impenitent, one of the 
modern restorationists was present ; and having a 
desire to show his knowledge, followed the preacher 
to the house, where he took tea after the exercises 
of the day were closed, and introduced himself by 
saying 5 — 

" Well, sir, I have been to hear you preach, and 
have come here to request you to prove your doc- 
trine." 

" I thought I had proved it, for I took the Bible 
for testimony," was the reply. 

" Well, I do not find anything in my Bible to prove 
that the sinner is eternally damned, and I do not be- 
lieve any such thing." 



350 VARIOUS METHODS 01 IBM. 

uikint) will be judged ac- 
iy : and ihos*» 
aod re* 
main there until the 

'" say to 
I lastly, 

:;« 1 by bell to get there, I cannot 

leave, but bis mind was ** ill at 
ease." There is a straight 

and was soon ;ed his 

tabic tunc united with * 

inner in winch this aged 
I — 
tim< - he would five the narratn 
inglj practical turn. mple will Ulusfrate : 

in his little i 
which met for 
first time he i 

tlx'iii COt 

" Hut Thou 
man. in a sorrow i what could 

keep Thomas awa) '" " Perhaps," said bo, g)anc« 



REPROOF. 351 

ing at some of the backward auditors, " Thomas had 
got cold-hearted, and was afraid they would ask him 
to make the first prayer ; or perhaps," said he, look- 
ing at some of the farmers, " Thomas was afraid the 
roads were bad ; or perhaps," he added, after a 
pause, " Thomas had got proud, and thought he 
could not come in his old clothes." Thus he went 
on : significantly summing up, with great simplicity 
and emotion, he added, " but only think what Thomas 
lost, for in the middle of the meeting the Lord Jesus 
came, and stood among them ! How sorry Thomas 
must have been !" This representation served to 
fill the vacant seats for some time to come. 

Father Morris sometimes used his illustratic talent 
to a very good purpose in the way of rebuke. He 
had on his farm a fine orchard of peaches, from 
which some of the ten and twelve year old gentle- 
men helped themselves more liberally than the old 
gentleman thought expedient. 

Accordingly he took occasion to introduce into his 
sermon one Sunday, in his little parish, an account of 
a journey he took, and how he saw a fine orchard of 
peaches, that made his mouth water to look at 
them. 

" So," says he, " I came up to the fence, and look- 
ed all around, for I would not have touched one of 
them, without leave, for all the world. At last I 
spied a man, and, says I, ' Mister, won't you give 
me some of your peaches V 

"So the man came, and gave me nigh a handful. 
And while I stood there eating, I said — 



953 VAi <oD8 OF USEFULNESS. 

io you manage to keep vow 

be said, and stared at me. 

M mean !' 

": the boys steal the* 
1 1 steal them V m deed!* 

" ' Vi I. ' 1 have a whole lot full of 

man's votes grew tremulous,) because the boys in my 
then so.' 
•• • Why. .sir,' said lie, ' ruenta teach 

t h* in Ml to stesJ I 1 

1 I rrrew all over in a cold sweat, and told 
him I icy didn't.' 

"•Why bow ynii talk,' smji :ell me 

where yew live.' 

(the tears running 
obliged to tell him I lived in the town of 

<;- 

Alter this, Father Morris kept his pel 

REV. JOHB 

ore, "on one 
il. the Sunday imrrning break- 
ting nfthe travelling and local preachers, at 
which Mr. v. ided; when 

local preachers rose and found fault w 
brother: Mr. K.mkm. who was p res e nt 
i. and ought not I 
fault with a senior brother.' M 

1 will thank the youngest man 



REPROOF. 353 

among you to tell me of any fault you see, or believe 
you see in me : in doing so, I shall consider him as 
my best friend.' This observation," continued Mr. 
Moore, " put an end to all further remarks ; for it 
was felt to be but in accordance with Mr. Wesley's 
universal conduct : he never felt himself the master 
— only as the elder brother, — or when his brethren 
were in distress, then indeed he felt for them as a 
father." 

REPROOF OF PROFAtfENESS. 
A late distinguished president of one of our western 
colleges was one day walking near the college with 
his slow and noiseless step, when a youth who had 
not observed his approach, while engaged in cutting 
wood, began to swear profanely in his vexation. 
The doctor stepped up, and said, " Give me the 
axe ;" and then quietly chopped the stick of wood up 
himself. Returning the axe to the young man, he 
said, in his peculiar manner, " You see now the 
wood may be cut without swearing." The reproof 
was effectual, and led, we have reason to believe, to 
an entire abandonment of that impious habit. 

REY. WILLIAM DAWSON". 
The late Mr. William Dawson was one day ac- 
costed by an individual, who said he had been present 
at a certain meeting ; that he liked the preaching 
very well indeed ; but was much dissatisfied with the 
prayer-meeting ; adding, that he usually lost all the 
good he had received during the sermon, by remain- 
23 



JH VARIOUS METHODS OP USEFULNESS. 

these noisy meetings. Mr 1» relied, ihst 
he should have united with the people of God in the 
meeting, if he desired to retain or obtain good. 
I went into the gallery, 
the front, and saw the whole, 
Meed, all the bene- 
fit I had received during the ser: is easy 
,d Mr. Dawson, 
[aired the other. " Yon mounted to I 
of the I i looking don hbour's 
chimnej tl kiml of a : vou got 
res filled with smoke. Had you ent. 
:. gone into the room, and mingled w 
family around the household hearth, you would have 

of thfl lire, as well 
you have get the .-moke in your | 

In one of his I rs he fell m 

with one of those eharacters who seem to think the 
chief end of man is to get all they ean. and k 
!. Having met on former oc 

i other, and as greet an intimacy 
bed between them as was possible in 
mixture of line goM mid the coarsest I 

• 
hut found every part of the for 

r and deliberate attack, 
v was pleaded — objections to the objee 
— mid reasons given why help .should be sought in 
Other miarteis. t hi finding all " sneetal pleading" 



REPROOF. 355 

ineffectual, and as though aware that a city, which 
would be proof against a regular siege, might never- 
theless be taken by surprise, he dropped, in his ac- 
customed manner, upon his knees, and turning from 
the miser, directed his addresses to God. Every 
sentence was like inspiration, and penetrated the soul 
of the miser like the fire of heaven — withering him 
with fear. Impressed apparently with a dread of the 
Being before whom he was immediately brought in 
prayer, in whose hearing he had pleaded poverty, 
though possessed of thousands of gold and silver, and 
who could in an instant as easily take away life as 
annihilate property, he exclaimed, with hurried vehe- 
mence, — " Sam, I'll give thee a guinea if thou wilt 
give over." Samuel, unruffled in his pleadings by 
the oddity of the circumstance, and who, in fact, had 
too many of his own to be moved by those of others, 
and encouraged withal by the symptoms which ap- 
peared, proceeded with earnestness in his addresses, 
and changing the subject, with the quickness of 
thought, told his Maker how inadequate a guinea was 
to effect the conversion of the world, and how trifling 
a sum it was in return for the thousands which the 
recipient had received in the dispensations of Provi- 
dence. The miser was again met in an unexpected 
way, and in the genuine " love of money," which 
seemed to excite a fear lest he should be further 
wrought upon by the prayer of the petitioner, or God 
should extort from him, in the moment of excited 
feeling, more than the selfishness of his nature would 
allow, he again roared out,— £' Sam, I tell thee to give 



356 VARIOUS ML! EFULNE8S. 

m two guineas if thou v. 

nel star: the same abruptness with 

he had knelt— he 1.1 his word — secured 

sway in triumph to a rnis- 
Dg about to Ik) held in the neighbour- 
hood, wl 

clings of a man who had snatch- 
>f an eagle. To be 
prave in the rehearsal or ! ste, is aa 

difficult as it is to believe in the sincerity of the giver ; 
and were it not fat the general artlessness of conduct 
and disposition manifested by Samuel, it would have 
>!..' to view it than as a epe- 

! with a view 
pose. But ■ I plan would have spoiled 

it ; hfl had not a mind to carry him forward : 
a thing beyond the length of his own -hadow, beneath 
n; he was the mere creature of im- 
— knew no more of plot than a child. 

DR. 
I'm late Rev. Dr. Ktatiphton. i 
town, M v sitting at I it'll the 

inii.l.-l Then 

I him, and said, " Mr. Staughton, v 
pity it is th:it man 

rfoet rule for the 

' 
•• What is t | Tame. M 



REPROOF. 357 

thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with 
all thy soul, and with all thy strength ; and thy 
neighbour as thyself." " O," said Paine, " that's in 
your Bible," and immediately walked away. 

REV. DR. WAUGH. 
The late Dr. Waugh, of London, had a great dislike 
to everything bordering on slander or defamation. 
The following is an illustration of his character in 
this point : — 

One of his people had travelled all the way from 
Newton to his father's house, where he usually re- 
sided, to communicate to him an unfavourable report 
concerning another member of the congregation. 
Some friends being with him, this person was re- 
quested to stay and dine with them. After dinner, 
he took occasion, in a jocular manner, to ask each 
person in his turn, how far he had ever known a man 
travel to tell an evil report of his neighbour ; when 
some gave one reply, and some another. He at last 
came to this individual ; but without waiting for his 
self-condemning reply, or unnecessarily exposing 
him, he stated, that he had lately met with a Chris- 
tian professor, apparently so zealous for the honour 
<of the church, as to walk fourteen miles with no 
other object than that of making known to his minis- 
ter the failings of a brother member. He then in a 
warm and impressive manner enlarged on the praise of 
that charity which covers a multitude of sins ; which 
" rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the 
truth." 



VARIOUS METHODS OF L'SEF l'L!CSM. 

DOD. 

9 ibbeth, irhicl m his parish, 

'dally among th« i .hitants, 

the servant of a nobleman, who wu one u 

Mr. I>.»1 replied, " I should not hare 
he had been conscious to 

that he had first offended my Lord ; and if 
your lord will offend my Lord, let him be offended.'' 

nuwuui urphoi 

The late Rev. Mr. More, minister of the gospel in 
Selkirk, while preaching from these words of Moses, 

ihow me thy gtorj . 
many of his hearers fast asleep, made a pause, on 
which I . in a very solemn 

maimer, addressed them • 

" I'' yen think, my friends, had Moses been asleep 
while the glory of God passed by him, that he 
sen it 1 The '. in the disp» ■: 

of the fMpel, has just been paa uid yet 

!. that during 
that day, at least, ho had a more attcnl 

tin: 0BOOK3ED ] 

i 

■i.ird," sayi Mr. I : mid the 

I u that tree should stand 

and that if it were mine 1 would root it up, and there- 



REPROOF. 359 

by reduce the orchard to an exact uniformity. He 
replied, 'that he rather regarded the fruit than the 
form ; and that this light inconvenience was abun- 
dantly compensated by a more considerable advan- 
tage. This tree,' said he, *■ which you would root 
up, hath yielded me more fruit than any of those trees 
which have nothing else to commend them but their 
regular situation.' I could not but yield to the reason 
of this answer ; and could wish it had been spoken 
so loud, that all our uniformity men had heard it ; 
who would not stick to root up many hundreds of the 
best bearers in the Lord's orchard, because they 
stand not in exact order with other more conforma- 
ble, but less beneficial trees, who do destroy the 
fruits to preserve the form." 

REV. J. SHERWOOD AND JUSTICE ROBINSON. 
Mr. Joseph Sherwood, one of the nonconformist 
ministers of England, having preached on that text, 
" I will avenge the quarrel of my covenant," was 
carried to a petty session of justices, where one Mr. 
Robinson sat as chairman, who greatly reviled Mr. 
Sherwood, and called him a rebel, &c, which he 
bore patiently, only making this reply, " That as he 
was a minister of the gospel, and at the church where 
there was so great an assembly, he could not but 
have compassion on the multitude, and give them a 
word of exhortation." Mr. Robinson said, " But 
did ever man preach from such a rebellious text V 
" Sir," replied Mr. Sherwood, " I know man is a 
rebel against his Creator, but I never knew that the 



300 VARIOUS METHODS OK EM. 

. could be a rebel against his creatun 

i mittimus for 

IiSimrci—on ju ncn turning to Mr. Sher- 

a ww a rebellious text.*' 

i full in the face, and ad* 

dressed him in thsst words : ' die the 

Qossjqsji pake by roe/' 

found favour 

with t)> 1 had liberty to walk about the 

sod town. RobttBBM returned home; and a 

few days after, walking in the fields, a bull that had 

no up to a gate where he stood, 

and his s.ervant-maid before him, who had l*?en milk- 

aure turned her aside wuh his 

ran directly upon Robinson, and tore out his 

He was carried home in this miserable 

usd aoun lAanraidi died. 

A W< 

ilk of the u r «Jsi»el occasionally visiting a gay 
. was introduced to a room w 
winch she dressed. Alter waiting BOO 
mnd him in ti 
ison of liis . 
44 Madam. I weep on redacting thai you can spend 
so many hours before your glass, and in ad 
your person, while I spend so few hours bet. 
God, and in adorning my soul.' 1 



REPROOF. 361 

"NO SERMON" GOOD THAT HAS NOTHING OF 

CHRIST IN IT." 
The late bishop F , of Salisbury, having pro- 
cured a young clergyman of promising abilities to 
preach before the king ; and the young man having, 
in his lordship's opinion, acquitted himself well, the 
bishop, in conversation with the king afterwards, 
wishing to get his sovereign's opinion, took the 
liberty to say, " Does not your majesty think that 
the young man, who had the honour to preach be- 
fore your majesty, is likely to make a good clergy- 
man, and has this morning delivered a very good 
sermon T' To which the king, in his blunt manner, 
hastily replied, " It might have been a good sermon, 
my lord ; but I consider no sermon good that has 
nothing of Christ in it." 

REV. SAMUEL "WESLEY, SEN. 
The Rev. Samuel Wesley, rector of Epworth, and 
father of the celebrated John Wesley, once went 
into a coffee-house in London for some refreshment. 
There were several gentlemen in a box at the other 
end of the room, one of whom, an officer of the 
guards, swore dreadfully. The rector saw that he 
could not speak to him without much difficulty ; he 
therefore desired the waiter to give him a glass of 
water. When it was brought, he said aloud, " Car- 
ry it to yon gentleman in the red coat, and desire 
him to wash his mouth after his oaths." The offi- 
cer rose up in a fury ; but the gentlemen in the box 



303 various v 

\ ay, co- 
e the gentle- 
it is an air- 
swear . was thus re- 

I again in Ixmdon, an.! 
I gentleman joined 

linn, m : : if he 

seen him bi Wesley 

n called 

to li is remembrance the scene at the colTee-hoose, 

nnd id thank God, I 

ared an oath ; and as I have a perfect recol- 

of yon, 1 !•' 

nut refrain from 

you." "A \ in season, how good 

• 1I<>W MANY Mil. IS DID YOU WALI 
BOOT 

In the ministerial visitatiui 

ichmenl to Scotland, bis native country, was 
strongly manifested. When, without sufficii i 
son, an] rs had failed in their att« 

on public ordinances, and pleaded their 
the ehaj>i 1 u an I | ihl exclaim, in the 

emphatic northern dialect, which 
it flwriliar nnnminnn, " Whtit ' toodtaM 

! from t ral S lkirk ! 

ami ||*a a hard matter to walk, a mile or tWO H 

\"ur Ifakoi ooe ilav in the * many 

miles did vou walk at Selkirk '" " [V. 



REPROOF. 363 

and can you not walk two here ? Man ! your father 
walked ten Ortwall (twelve) out, and as manyhame, 
every Sunday i' the year, and your mother too, 
aften. I've seen a hunder folk and mair, that aye 
walked six or seven, men, and women, and bairns 
too ; and, at the sacraments, folk walked fifteen, and 
some twenty miles. How far will you walk i' the 
morn to mak half a crown \ Fie ! fie ! But ye'll 
be out wi' a' your household next Sabbath, I 
ken. O, my man, mind the bairns ! If you love 
their souls, dinna let them get into the habit of bid- 
ing away from the kirk. All the evils amang young 
folk in London arise from their not attending God's 
house." Such remonstrances as these, it may 
easily be imagined,, were not often urged in vain. 

THE DEFECTIVE MILL. 
An active and skilful young minister, while en- 
gaged under circumstances of the most promising 

kind in the village of J , was told of a miller, 

who, with more than usual profaneness, had re- 
pelled every attempt to approach him on the sub- 
ject of religion, and had discouraged the hopes and 
efforts of the few serious persons in his vicinity. 
Among other practices of sinful daring, he uniformly 
kept his wind-mill, the most striking object in the 
hamlet, going on the Sabbath. In a little time the 
minister determined to make an effort for the benefit 
of the hopeless man. He undertook the office of 
going for his flour the next time himself. " A fine 
mill," said he, as the miller adjusted his sack to re- 



364 VARIOUS METHODS O. KSI. 

ceivc the flour ; " a fine mill indeed ; one of the com- 
pleted I have ever seen." This wu nothing more 
than juat — the miller had heard it a t honied times 
before ; and would firmly have thought it, though he 
had never heard it once : but his skill and judgment 
were still gratified by tins new testimony, and his 
feelings con irds the minister. 

4 But, U! M continued his customer, after a little 
pause, M there is one defect in it I" " What is that V 9 
carelessly asked the miller. " A very serious de- 
fect to<> re f i tt ed the miller, turning op his 
liiat is likely to counterbalance 
all its advantages." " Well, what it it !"' said the 
miller, standing straight up, and looking the minister 
in the face. lie went on : — " A defect n : 
likely to ruin the null." " What is it '" rejoined 
tin' miller. "And will one day no doubt dootioy 

: say it out 
claimed the impatient miller. M" It goes on the Sab- 
bath !'' pronounced the minister, in a firm, and so- 
lrmii, and monitory tone. Theastoni- 
blank and thunderstruck : and remained 

lire under • .d exhortation 

of ■ quarter of SB hour's ! Dgth, in which the dan- 

gei of i. practices, and the call to repent- 

. and faith in our Lord Jesttf 

Christ, were full) him. 

It has often b.cu seen. J difficult 



REPROOF. 365 

swered without effort, by the mere exercise of com- 
mon sense. The papists often boast of the antiquity 
of their religion, and no doubt produce some effect 
by their statements on this subject. A Protestant 
clergyman having occasion to travel in France, be- 
fore the revolution in that country, happened, in one 
of the inns where he stopped, to fall into conversa- 
tion with a French gentleman, a Roman Catholic. 
The Romanist was a well-bred, intelligent man, and 
conducted himself with much politeness when con- 
versing on common topics. But no sooner did he 
learn, from some unavoidable expressions, that the 
gentleman with whom he was conversing was a Pro- 
testant, than he discovered his bigotry. " And pray," 
said he, using the hackneyed phrase and question 
on this subject, " where was your religion before the 
days of Luther V " Permit me," said the clergy- 
man, " to answer your question by another : Where, 
pray, was your face, sir, this morning, before you 
washed it V 

THE EXTINGUISHER. 

Dr. Taylor, of Norwich, once said to the late Rev. 
John Newton, " Sir, I have collated every word in 
the Hebrew Scriptures seventeen times, and it is 
very strange that the doctrine of atonement 
which you hold, if there, cannot be found by me." 
" I am not surprised at that," said Mr. N. ; "I once 
went to light my candle with the extinguisher on 
it." 



366 VAl ( ss. 

had ever sought a 
bleating from the Ixjrd upon his learning. M 

seed that li< verend 

v. rnlv in the luce, replied, 

( imri-li." Mr. 1 1 il fniiti in i i mini rnnsCMlicws 
afterwards in _;ing God while pursuing 

his studies. 

AB> 

■jyinan once called upon Dr. Dwight, 
and Inquired respecting the best method of treating 
difficult sad ab.struse point in mental philoso- 
phy, upon which he \\a* preparing a sermo: i 

<>u any information upon the so 
the doctor replied ; M I am not 
topics. I leave them for j 

JOB 

Pox, the author of the " Book of Mai 
■ 

of London, s com] a begged him 

Lmportonitj 
mo moo. \ , returned to t h- .,1 asked 

lbs loan of li\ ♦• pound*, which was readilv gl 

he immediately distributed it among tho poor by 
whom I Som< 



REPROOF. 367 

Aylmer asked Fox for the money he had borrowed. 
" I have laid it out for you," was the answer, " and 
paid it where you owed it — to the poor people who 
lay at your gate." Far from being offended, Ayl- 
mer thanked Fox for thus being his steward. 



368 BLESSED ARE THE PEACE-MAKERS. 



>LAKER8. 

"Til: 

In one of Scotland's northern towns, a famil'. 
seated round 

ikI wondering why ho was later than asuaJ. 

At length hi appem* < was heary, and his 

fad the blessing, be eat 

id on Ins hand, wrapped in melancholy 

thought. 

This uiihapjiy-kx.kinrr man was one of the elders 
in a neighbouring shape] ; he possessed much energy 
and seal, and it was hoped . but, alas! he 

was governed by a naturally bad temper, and > 
die wise man — M I ! 
.t ia better than he who I 

•■<• of bis unr. ineet- 

ths chapel business were the constant scenes 
strife. 
The venerable minister, being a tru< 

. deeply lamented bis ekh 
e hris tsis spirit On the previous day a meeting had 

Id, which was moa 
for the elder bud been pnrticnlarly angry and 
■n. 

It within bim while 

' thank- 

hc that evening to retire 



BLESSED ARE THE PEACE-MAKERS. 369 

some miles from town, for the peace and quiet of the 
country are soothing to a wounded spirit. 

It was on the following morning that the elder 
came down to breakfast in so melancholy a mood. 
His wife, after looking anxiously at him for some 
minutes, said, "Are you ill, my dear %V 

"No." 

" Then what has happened to make you look so 
sad !" 

He slowly raised himself up, and looking ear- 
nestly at her, said, " I have had a most extraordi- 
nary dream." 

The look of anxiety vanished from his wife's face, 
as she said, with a smile, " Why, you always laugh 
at my dreams." 

" Yes, but mine was so remarkable. I dreamed I 
was at the bottom of a steep hill, and when I looked 
up, I saw the gate of heaven at the top ; it was 
bright and glorious, and many saints and angels 
stood there. Just as I reached the top of the hill, 
who should come out to meet me but our aged mi- 
nister ! and he held out his hand, crying, * Come 
awa, John, come awa, there's nae strife here.' And 
now I cannot help thinking of the grief my conten- 
tious spirit has given to the dear old man." 

The husband and wife sat some time in silence, 
which was broken by the entrance of a servant with 
a letter. The elder hastily read it, while an expres- 
sion of the deepest grief overspread his face ; then 
dropping it from his hand, he covered his face, as if 
to hide from those around him the anguish of his soul. 
24 



370 BLESSED ARE THE PEACE-MAKERS. 

•vai from the 
M follows: 
daw , we had the great pleasure yes- 

i inking 

what ha Balled til |>eaeeful retreat. When wa sat 
r in the evening, be spake with mu« 

mp tired of all this strife and turmoil, that 1 a 
dear Lord would take me horn*'.' In 
as he did not come down I I rau up and 

i ut his door ; but, receiving no answer, I 
I sinking a longer rest than 
BJnal might do him good. Aftef returning to his 
door once <>r twice, and h< 

He was in bed, and appan 1 spoke to 

■ long* 
8 we believed it to be the sleep of 
!y smile rested on his plac 
and his BROWy lucks hiy unrullled on the pillow; but 
h< slept in Jesus ; for his dear Lord had tak> 
!i"in'-." 

rod tins shock. He sor- 
rowad for in- friend, l>nt still mot He 

gradually Mink, and in three weeks was laid 

l amiss 
h earth sad sin sway— 

'■ 0)0, 

Shall I] 



BLESSED ARE THE PFACE-MAKERS. 371 

REV. MR. KLLPIN. 
When any member of Mr. Kilpin's church at Exe- 
ter came with details of real or supposed injuries, 
received from a fellow-member, after listening to the 
reporter, Mr. K. would inquire if they had men- 
tioned these grievances to their offending brother or 
sister. If the reply was in the negative, and usually 
it was so, he would then calmly order a messenger to 
fetch them, remarking, that it would be ungenerous 
to decide, and unscriptural to act, merely from hear- 
ing the statement of one party. This determination 
always produced alarm, and the request that nothing 
might be mentioned to the parties implicated. This 
plan had a peaceful influence, and often produced 
humility and self-accusation. Assertions and proofs 
are very different grounds for the exercise of judg- 
ment, and are more distinct than angry persons 
imagine. 

DR. TWISS AND THE ORPHAN. 
Mr. Philip Henry relates a remarkable story con- 
cerning a good old friend of his, who, when young, 
being an orphan, was greatly wronged by his uncle. 
His fortune, which was £200, was put into the 
hands of that uncle ; who, when he grew up, shuf- 
fled with him, and would give him but £40 instead 
of his £200, and he had no way of recovering his 
right but by law ; but, before he would engage in 
that, he was willing to advise with his minister, who 
was the famous Dr. Twiss, of Newberry ; the coun- 



gave Imn, all things considered, was, for 
peiee 1 I !.• . ■ . I f«>r thf preretUwg <>f mm, andsnar> «, 
and troubles, to tak nan contend; 

assure thyself that Uod will make it up to thee and 
thine some ot will be 

the loser- by it at la pleased 

vrith, that \\i. |a a good old age. I 

;reds a year, 

I ronged him fell into [h>\ i 



PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERANCES, ETC. 373 

PROVIDENTIAL DELIVERANCES AND SUPPLIES, 



DU MOULIN. 
In that period of barbarism, rendered memorable by 
the revocation of the Edict of Nantz, by Louis XIV. 
of France, when the blood of the saints was poured 
out like water, some of those persons employed in 
hunting down the Protestants were sent in pursuit 
of the celebrated Protestant minister, Du Moulin. 
They had long sought for him in vain, when at 
length they traced him to a certain house, and fol- 
lowed in his footsteps. Every corner of this house 
they searched, an oven excepted, which He, who 
can employ, in carrying out the designs of his mercy, 
an insect or an angel, had rendered, by means of 
a despicable spider, the secure asylum of his ser- 
vant. A web just thrown over its mouth prevented 
scrutiny, and thus was Du Moulin preserved. 

DR. COLE AND ELIZABETH EDMONDS. 
After imprisoning and burning many Protestants in 
England, Queen Mary determined the Protestants 
of Ireland should be dealt with in like manner. For 
this purpose she signed a commission, and appointed 
Dr. Cole one of the commissioners. The doctor 
coming with the commission to Chester, on his jour- 
ney, the mayor of that city, hearing that her majesty 
was sending a messenger into Ireland, waited on the 



>SCES 

in discourse with the mayor, took oat 

ak-bag a leather box, saying, " Here is a 

commission th:it >hall la- ■ of Ireland," 

calling the V: iliat title. The good wo- 

ant religion, and also having a brother nam« 

Is of the sn: then a 

citizen of Dublin, was much troubled at the doctor's 
trot watching her convenient time, while the 

major took his leave, and the doctor c 

him Ay>w box, took the com- 

i out, and placed in lieu of it a sheet of paper, 
with a pack of cards wrapped u; nave of 

clubs being faced uppermost. The doctor coming 
Op to his chamber, I rf what 

• a done, pof up the box as for: 

I and weather 
led towards Ireland, and landed 
on the 7th of October, 1558, at Dublin. W 

arrived at the castle, the lord Fitz-W 
lord-deputy, sent for him to come before him and 
the privy council. He came accordingly, ar. 

made ■ tpeeoh, n fating on what account he 
had come over, he presented the box to the ! 

a to be op< i secre- 

tary might read the commission, there was nothing 
b the knave of clubs up- 
permost ; whi'-h nnt only startled the lord 

'Mini, hut the i assured them he bad 

a ooMmi.HsniM, bit ki 

let us have another 



AND SUPPLIES. 375 

commission, and we will shuffle the cards in the 
meanwhile." The doctor, being troubled in his 
mind, went away, and returned to England, and, 
coming into the court, obtained another commission ; 
but staying for the wind on the water-side, news 
came to him that the queen was dead ; and thus God 
preserved the Protestants of Ireland. Queen Eliza- 
beth was so delighted with this story, which was 
related to her by lord Fitz-Walter on his return to 
England, that she sent for Elizabeth Edmonds, and 
gave her a pension of ,£40 a year during her life. 

REV. D. ANDERSON". 
This worthy man, formerly minister at Walton-upon- 
Thames, being the subject of persecution in Eng- 
land in the year 1662, and apprehensive of the as- 
cendency of popery, removed to Middleburgh, *in 
Zealand. The little money he took with him was 
soon expended, and he was reduced with his family 
to very great want, which his modesty would not 
allow him to make known. In this perplexity, after 
he had been at prayer one morning with his family, 
his children asked for some bread for their break- 
fast, but he having none, nor money to buy any, 
they all burst into tears. 

While they were thus sorrowing together, the 
door-bell was rung ; Mrs. Anderson went to the 
door, where she was met by a man who presented a 
small parcel, saying it had been sent by a gentleman, 
and that some provision would be sent in shortly. 
When they opened the paper, they found it to con- 



PR0V1I ) N 

il a < 

1 with a horse-load of whatever 
contnl. I iicse auppUea were 

contim. 

It afterwards ap- 

i (loesses were shown by a pious 

. observing a grave 

-. and sent him the gold b) 

untry servant, say- 

. 'iid that any of Christ's ambassadors 
should be strangers, and we not visit them ; or in 
distress, and we not assist them ;" at the same time 
nTJWOeelj charging them to conceal his name. 

KKV. mi: .)0D. 

■• seventeenth 

century, li:iv. 

of his hearers, sensible of his guilt, and thinking he 
was th( irticularly intended, re**' 

kill him ; and in order to \lo it he hid !. 
i . I»y u hich he knew Mr. Thoi 
• to preach bis wi 
When Mr. T. came to the pj 
•hoot him, but his piece failed, and only tl.i 

the pea. Thi he lay in the earn 

with the same design. When Mr. T. cam- 

w retehed man attempted I 

would not go off. Upon thi>. hi 

in | lnm for Mi'-h inched— ei| he went afu 



AND SUPPLIES. 377 

and, falling down on his knees, with tears in his 
eyes, related the whole to him, and begged his par- 
don. This providence was the means of his con- 
version, and he became from that time a serious 
Christian. 

REV. GILBERT RULE. 
Mr. Gilbert Rule was minister of Alnwick, in 
Northumberland, during the time of the persecution. 
When he was forced to leave his charge at Aln- 
wick, he went to Berwick, where he practised sur- 
gery for the support of his family. His enemies 
continued their persecutions. They engaged some 
of the baser sort to waylay him. That he 
might be brought into this snare, a messenger was 
despatched at midnight to request him to visit a 
person in the country, whom he should represent as 
very ill. The good man expressed so much sympa- 
thy for the sick person, and showed such readiness 
to run to his relief, though at midnight, that the 
messenger's heart relented, (for he was privy to the 
plot,) and was so filled with remorse, that he disco- 
vered the whole affair to Mr. Rule, which happily 
saved him from premature death. 



DYnso T18TIM' 



d\t 



JOHN II! 
John Hum, the Bohemian martyr, was 
' out to be burned, they put on his head a 
• 

seeing it he said, " My Lord Jesus Christ, for my 
■ of thorns ; why should not I 
it ever 
Truly I will do it, and tl. 
When it was set upon his head, the bishops 
said, '• ' "mmit thy - 

"But 1,'* said Huss, lifting up his eyes towards 
heaven, "do commit my spud into thy hi 
Jem* Christ; to thee I commend in 
which thou haul redeemed." 

JEROME OF PR A 

• be associate of Huss in the work 
of reformation, followed him to the stake a few 
months after this. Arrived at the pi 
down and commended him I in nearly the 

same a 1 1 iss did. The 

of tins faithful minister of Christ exhibited un 
I :it thfl same tunc holy - 

God'i will. When the executioner was al 
kindle the lire fa hind him, 

hither ; Ao thine office St/ i had I feared 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 379 

death, I might have avoided it." As the fagots 
began to blaze, he commenced singing a psalm in a 
loud voice, until at length he was suffocated in the 
flames. 

GEORGE WISHART. 
George Wishart, a man of apostolic character, 
who trained the youthful spirit of John Knox, and 
paved the way for him in the Scottish Reformation, 
fell a victim to the truth nineteen years after Patrick 
Hamilton. At the stake he cried out, " For the 
true gospel, given me by the grace of God, I suffer 
this day with a glad heart. Behold, and consider 
my visage — ye shall not see me change colour — I 
fear not this fire. I know surely, and my faith is such 
that my soul shall drink ivine new loith my Saviour 
this night V And kneeling down, he prayed for 
forgiveness to his accusers and enemies. As the 
fire was kindled, he raised his eyes to heaven and 
cried, " O Saviour of the world, have mercy on me ! 
Father of heaven, into thy hands I commend my 
spirit /" 

BRADFORD. 
Bradford, the most famous preacher of King Ed- 
ward's day, was brought to the stake by Queen 
Mary. His last words, as he submitted to the 
flames, were, " Strait is the gate, and narrow is the 
way, that leadeth unto life ; and few there be that 
find it. And now, Lord Jesus, receive my spi- 
rit !" 



380 

I VIC. 
Jam** Durham wi rles I., 

1 - laagow. On 
:: ilarkneM of 
mind. I have 

:i, there is 

ther, if I may dare ! I of my salvv 

it: ' Whoeoerer eometh unto me, I will in nowise 

though you had a thousand sai- 
nt hazard !" Haring remained som< 
. in great bodily pain, but wrestling 
ami prayer, he at length emme joyfully from b 

k cloud, and cried, in a raptur 

good ! Is he not infinitely good 
how he smiles ! I do say it, and I do ; 

SAMUEL RXTTB 

Rutherford, one of tl indent 

lights ti. in Scotland, was the professor 

of divinity in the 

When the parliament of Scotlan I 

lie stood up for liberty an 

vim: bed. " Tell the 

summons to a higher bar ; i 

id when th- i 

of you shall i ins last 

■ - he said to i 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 381 

is none like Christ : O, dear brethren, pray for 
Christ, preach for Christ, do all for Christ ; feed the 
flock of God ! And O, beware of men-pleasing !" 
Having recovered from a fainting fit, he said, " I 
feel, I feel, I believe, I joy, I rejoice, I feed on man- 
na ! my eyes shall see my Redeemer, and I shall be 
ever with him ! And what would you more ? I 
have been a sinful man ; but I stand at the best 
pass that ever a man did. Christ is mine, and I 
am his ! Glory, glory to my Creator and Redeemer 
forever ! Glory shines in Immanuel's land ! O 
for arms to embrace him ! O for a well -tuned 
harp !" He continued exulting in God his Saviour 
to the last, as one in the full vision of joy and glory ! 

CLAUDE. 
Claude, whose fame is in all the churches, was ex- 
iled from France by the ferocious bigotry of Louis 
XIV. His closing scene was truly affecting and 
instructive. Having pronounced his solemn bene- 
diction on his spouse, and his son, (an able minister 
of Christ,) and on an aged domestic, all kneeling at 
his bed-side ; and having committed them to the God 
of the widow and fatherless, he uttered these his 
last words : "lam so oppressed that I can attend 
only to two of the great truths of religion, namely, 
the mercy of God, and the gracious aids of the Holy 
Ghost! I know in whom I have believed, and am 
persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have 
committed to him against that day ! Our Lord Je- 
sus Christ is my only righteousness !" 



382 M TESTIMONIES. 

It may be sa. les Wesley, that he 

a ;th ■ hymn lips; foe \ 

in a state of extreme feebleness, hating been i 

owing lines at 



Jksus, my only hope U 
Strength of my failing t 

And drop into i 



REV. mil m\; . 

Mr. Purvis, " Mr. S n 

uf (J - — 

stances uf great interest, with regard to the last ill- 
ness and death <>f I . . a 

well-known minister in th< 'and, one who 

had |m J eminent !<>r godliness, and had 

<l"i,r much for hia Lord and .Master in his da 

M a peculiar man ; 
but if in anvil . be was singular 1 

ness. I'mv. 

walked with God, and whose * 
and tin -nil creates a sensa* 

lion in all that country side, wi, 
\\ liat he BMl ha\«' been, and col. 
Word, • 'I'he iiieiuor> of tl Nftd. 1 Well, 

Mr. 8. went to see Mr. M loath bed, and 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 383 

said he was awfully solemnized by the way he spoke 
to him of his own experience. He seemed to have 
had great searchings of heart, and to have been 
brought very low ; and he related a dream to Mr. S. 
which he had had, and which, he said, expressed 
very clearly both what he had been brought through 
and brought to. He dreamt that he saw heaven 
opened, and a company approach and go in, and the 
door was shut. In this company he beheld Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, and many of the Old Testament 
saints, and there were amongst them those whom he 
himself had known, but he could not get in along 
with them. There was a short pause, and again the 
door was opened, and again a company approached, 
and in that company he knew many, but again he 
said, ' I could not get in along with them, and I be- 
gan to tremble exceedingly.' A third time the door 
was opened, and another company approached ; one 
went in after another, and Mr. M'G. said, ' Terror 
began to seize upon me, and my knees smote one 
upon another, when all at once, looking around, I 
saw Manasseh ! Manasseh, that had made Jerusa- 
lem stream with blood !' And, giving Mr. S. an in- 
describable look, he said, ¥ And I crept in at Ma- 
nasseh's back !' Mr. M'G. told Mr. S. he had in- 
deed found peace, having been brought to Paul's ex- 
perience : ' This is a faithful saying, and worthy of 
all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners, of whom I am chief ;' and that he had 
nothing in the world to trust to but this." 









i:i>v. 

The late Dr. Payson, in hi* last illness, suffered ex- 

■ 
it carry - 
1 ><id is literally 
. all in all. It* He is presen'. 

; {'inoss ; and 
II the world 

>uld not add one drop to tl 
My happiness 

I do long now v dear people. 

Hithert wed Cod as a fixed star, bright 

but often intercepted by clouds ; but i 

•is into a sun, 
so vast and plorious, that the sight is toodaz/ 
flesh and blood to sustain. 1 see, clearly, that all 
these same glorious and dazzlin.- 
now (inly serve to kindle my afl« I flams, 

ami to melt down my soul into the same blessed 
would burn and scorch i. turning 

an impenitent sinner." In a !• 

i adopt thfl figurative 
■. nt" Hunyan, 1 might dati 
land of Beulah, of which I have been, for several 

■ haj>j>y inhabitant. The eel*.-' 
in inv | 

DM — itl odours are watted t<> mo — its sound 
upon D • pint is breathed u 

urmtsi dm from it but lh< 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 385 

of death, which now appears but as an insignificant 
rill, that may be crossed at a single step, whenever 
God shall give permission. The Sun of Righteous- 
ness has been gradually drawing nearer and nearer, 
appearing larger and brighter as He approaches, and 
now fills the whole hemisphere, pouring forth a flood 
of glory, in which I seem to float like an insect in the 
beams of the sun, exulting, yet almost trembling, 
while I gaze at this excessive brightness, and won- 
dering, with unutterable wonder, why God should 
thus deign to shine upon a sinful worm. When I 
would speak of God my Redeemer, my words are all 
swallowed up. I can only tell you of the effects 
His presence produces, and even of these I can tell 
you but very little. O, my sister, my sister, could 
you but know what awaits the Christian, could you 
only know as much as I know, you could not refrain 
from rejoicing, and leaping for joy. Labours, trials, 
troubles, would be nothing. You have known a little 
of my trials and conflicts, and know that they have 
been neither few nor small ; and I hope this glorious 
termination of them will serve to strengthen your 
faith and elevate your hope. And now, my dear 
sister, farewell. Hold on your Christian course a 
few days longer, and you will meet in heaven your 
happy and affectionate brother." He died October 
22d, 1827, in the 44th year of his age. 

REV. WM. S. PEASE. 

This excellent young minister was born in Canaan, 

Columbia county, N. Y., on the 5th of April, 1800. 

25 



S00 

He her n of age, bat 

youth, he lost his communion « 
•Axe progress of a revive" 

■c of which be retained I 

In 1891 be commenced Ins labours as an 

. 
labouring between four and fire years he was proe- 
by disease, which baffled medi 
t an end to his labours and hie 
II. remarkably patient and resigned 

On i\\o I b< prerioea to 

th, when n:it 

this be djh ' 

l»oth of 
\bout an hour 

some object, when he exclaimed with a stron. 
"Well, — well, — well ; — 1 

half an hoar afterwards, he apok< 
v. In. stood by him, with 
well, farewell ; I ai 

ai.i N BUT Cli 

A good old minister, \\li<> died in IW3 

1 1 >able of en- 

I ' ' 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 387 

Towards the last days of his life, he was moved to 
the house of a beloved son, where he was attended 
to with the most filial affection. On the evening be- 
fore his death, a neighbouring minister visited him, 
but he did not know him. Being told who he was, 
he answered, " No, I do not remember any such per- 
son." His beloved son was introduced to him ; but 
no, he did not know him. " I do not remember that 
I have a son," said the good old man. In short, his 
memory was so impaired that he knew none of his 
friends or family about him. At last he was asked, 
" Do you not remember the Lord Jesus Christ V 
On this his eyes brightened ; and attempting to lift 
his hands in the hour of death, he exclaimed, " O ! 
yes, I do, I do ! I remember the Lord Jesus Christ ! 
He is my Lord and my God, by whom I hope to be 
saved !" May we not be assured that the gracious 
Redeemer of sinners will not forsake those who thus 
regard him with a love that even the decay of nature 
cannot destroy 1 Blessed are they that put their 
trust in him ! Reader, hast thou done so ? If not, 
what will be thy state when thou comest to die ? 

REV. JOHN" HYATT. 
It is well known that this excellent man was, for 
many years, co-pastor with the Rev. Matthew Wilks, 
of the congregations at the Tabernacle and Totten- 
ham-court chapel. His venerable colleague, who 
called upon him a few hours before his death, in a 
characteristic conversation, said, " Is all right for 
another world \ n 



388 

.m Tery happy," said Mr. II. 

lie Lord 
be done," i 
i 

■ can :" alluding to Mr. Wilk- 
ings, at that momt i 

i them all to 
alluding to an expression .Mr. 1 
i the pulpit. 
With a mighty and convulsive replied, 

"A million !" 

STEPHEN BEEKMAS 

uniable and devoted youi soq of 

. was born in the i 
I '). ] 
religiously inclined, and at the a<;o of thirteen he 
made a public i !.-.% tag 

• sleyan 
,,v, in Wilbraham, Mass., he 

ing then in hi I'nt his 

health I I to his fath. 

i >rk. After I red. he 

the New- York I 
gradoati onrtobimsell aisfae- 

t ion of li 

session of tl 
ncc of the M It, was 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 389 

received on trial and appointed to Westville and 
Bethany, in Connecticut. The following year he 
was stationed in Milford. Here his health failing, 
he returned to his father's in New Haven. The fol- 
lowing description of his triumphant exit is extracted 
from a letter written by his mother to the compiler, 
soon after his death.* 

" My dear Stephen came home on the 14th of 
Nov., very unwell, but his father being absent from 
town, he preached twice. He entered into the spirit 
of his work, and spoke with great energy. Two per- 
sons were awakened, and this was the commence- 
ment of a revival in his father's charge. After re- 
maining at home for ten weeks, and being somewhat 
improved in health, he went back to his station, but 
returned in about nine days with a severe cold, from 
which he never recovered. His disease proved to 
be a bronchial consumption. 

" After his physicians had given him up, I said to 
him, ' I fear you will not stay long with us.' His 
countenance brightened, 'All right,' said he, 'ask 
father to pray.' After prayer he took each of the 
family in turn by the hand, giving each a kiss and 
his dying charge. Then raising his feeble hands he 
shouted, ' Glory, glory, glory to God !' He then sank 
away as though dead. His father remarked, ' He 
has gone, with glory on his lips.' But he revived, 
and said, ' I am not dead.' Of the scene which fol- 
lowed, my dear brother, I can give you but a very 

* The phraseology of the letter is altered very slightly, as it 
was not originally designed for the public eye. 



iui|H.Tii ol description, k <h.l mm a> thou-h tho 
f hosts came as near as mortals cou 
the room was nearly lull of \ 

I . sins are all i an waah- 

> I ul" Jt-'MIS. 

doubt, not ;i cloud. All 

rd, I am going ho::. 

out 

' O thou Cod of my Miration, 
Jeemer from ail sin.' 

It was came to the fourth Terse, 

' Angela now are horering round us,' 

it seemed as though his spirit would fly awa;. 
looked out at the window : ■ The sun,' said he, • iaset- 
.. with a look ol" b< 

already 

laid his hands upon his breast, 
ed, and expired. 
" 1 bad thought if he died, I should i 
but there was nothing like death 

! filled with the glory oltlod. I 
comforting lnllueyio 

Iviig those last Uu 

ili:.\i;v \ 

Mh. Yknn, in his last illness, t \ 

s 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 391 

visited him in his declining state, endeavoured to 
encourage his mind, by bringing to his recollection 
his useful labours in the Lord's vineyard. While 
one of them was enlarging in this .strain, the dying 
saint, raised from a state of oppressive languor, and 
deeply sensible of his own insufficiency, with great 
animation exclaimed, " Miserable comforters are ye 
all ! — I have had many to visit me, who have endea- 
voured to comfort me by telling me what i" have 
done. ' He hath spoiled principalities and powers, 
— He hath made a show of them openly, triumphing 
over them in His cross.' This, sir, is the source 
of all my consolation, and not anything I have done." 

HALYBURTON. 
Mr. Halyburton was one of the most learned di- 
vines of Scotland, and professor of divinity in the 
University of St. Andrew's. The ablest of his writ- 
ings is his " Natural Religion insufficient, and Re- 
vealed necessary to man's happiness." He wrote 
against Lord Herbert, the father of the English De- 
ists ; and was the first who carried the war into the 
enemy's camp, showing the absurdity and futility of 
the deist's system. The chief of his practical 
works is his " Great Concern." He was a truly 
devoted Christian, and he breathed out his soul to 
God in a triumphant death. The following were 
his last words : " I dare look death in the face, in 
its most ghastly shape, and hope soon to have the 
victory over it. Glory, glory to him ! 0, what of 
God do I see ! I have never seen anything like it. 



Ml I 

and the end of religion arc \ 

fully tweet ! 1 long lor his sa >s* his 

I have round Imn ' up in blessing 

■ 

fully, as I have done, this rod, which hath 

ng. This is a mil 
You see a man dying : a 

v as no longer to be 
able to speak, I will, if I can, give you a sijrn of tri- 
umph when I am near to glory. " II- d:d so: for 
you arc encouraging yoor- 
>' If in the Lord,* 1 being now unable to speak, he 
lifted up his hands and clapped them, aud in a few 
moments expired. 

- death- 
did not know any 

with whom he h i 
aoquainl him; and when conduct' 

his room he 

me V " W'l; Ba i() the bit 

told who the ministi 

know him. Another friend came who bad 
equally well known, and a 

I it was one 
of his intimau 

1 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 393 

if he knew her. " Who are you!" said he. Being 
told she was his wife, he said he did not know her. 
" Well," said one of them, " Bishop Beveridge, do 
you know the Lord Jesus Christ 1" " Jesus 
Christ !" said he, reviving, as if the name had pro- 
duced upon him the influence of a charm, " O ! yes, 
I have known him these forty years : precious Sa- 
viour, he is my only hope !" 

AUGUSTUS M. TOPLADY. 
Mr. Augustus M. Toplady closed his life by a 
very triumphant death. He said, " how this soul 
of mine longs to be gone : like an imprisoned bird, it 
longs to take its flight. that I had the wings of 
a dove, I should flee away to the realms of bliss, and 
be at rest forever ! I long to be absent from the 
body, and present with the Lord." At another time 
he said, " O what a day of sunshine has this been to 
me ! I have no words to express it : it is unuttera- 
ble ! O, my friends, how good our God is ! Almost 
without interruption his presence has been with me." 
Being near his end, having awakened out of sleep, 
he said, " O what delights ! who can fathom the joys 
of the third heavens!" And just before he expired 
he said, " The sky is clear ; there is no cloud : 
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly !" 

JOSEPH BENSON". 
Two days before the venerable and Rev. Joseph 
Benson expired, he was visited by Dr. Adam Clarke, 
and Mr. (now Dr.) Bunting. Dr. Clarke, who ap- 



pearcil affected at seeing km, said, 

yes, — it 

• am nut 

■ 

1 c au aJl-aulIiciunt and 

y Saviour, and you now ir trust 

in him." He re] 
with him, ai 

^reat truths which 
LIS fully declared to us: 
followed acunningl) 
"No — I but by 

x 1 still feel the oQtd 
. 

firmities ; I feel th 
thing good in 

. and by 
irit, be fully renewed aui 

. 

mmentator, d 

;i hols man, h 

[i sublimely < "hn^tun! I 



DYING TESTIMONIES. 395 

of sin, of the purity and holiness of God. And not- 
withstanding his progress heavenward, what self- 
abasement he ever manifested ! " Lord, abhor 
me not," said he, in fervent prayer, " though I be 
abhorrible, and abhor myself : say not, ' Thou filthy 
soul, continue to be filthy still ;' but rather say, ' I 
will, be thou clean.' " He longed much to be gone. 
" I am weary of my journey, and wish to be at home, 
if *it be God's will. Ah ! I had thought that I should 
close the sacred services of this day (the Sabbath), 
in heaven." A great part of his time he prayed and 
thought aloud. On one occasion he said, "Posthumous 
reputation ! the veriest bubble with which the devil 
ever deluded a wretched mortal ! But posthumous 
usefulness — ay, in that there is indeed something : 
that was what Moses, the prophets, and the apos- 
tles desired ; and most of all, the Lord Jesus Christ." 
Among the last words he uttered were these : " Lord, 
support me — Lord Jesus, receive my spirit !" To 
his weeping wife and children he said, with tender- 
ness, " Can any rational being grieve at my depart- 
ure \ Well, nature will have its first burst of sor- 
row, but you will soon learn to view it in its true 
light. Christ is my all ! He is my only hope ! 
O to realize the fulness of joy ! to have done 
with temptation ! This is heaven begun : I have 
done with darkness forever ! Satan is vanquished ! 
Nothing remains but salvation with eternal glory, 
eternal glory !" 



|Q6 MIS' 1 



HA] 

44 1 REMKMfiKK that on my return a a ves- 

sel irU i on a voyae;» -ays St. 

. ' 4 as soon as the sailors had perfectly 
! the land of their native country, they be- 
came in a gn ding to 
the duties of the ship 8 :t it wistfully, 
without the j | else ; others 
dressed themselves in their best clothes, as if they 

naelves, 

and others v 

"As we approached, the disorder of their minds 
increased. A everal years, 

■ 

the foliage of the I 

skirled the eh and tnosees. 

The ehnrcb spires of the village 

vhich they distinguished at a di 
country, ami whieh tlay named one 
filled tliein with tra 

" IJut irhen the \. I the port, an : 

their wives, their children, and their frit 

their arms with t« : ^ them 

l>v their name, it was no lo 

i board , tin \ .'ii shore, and 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 397 

came necessary, according to the custom of the 
port, to employ another set of mariners to bring the 
vessel to her mooring. 

" What, then, would be the case, were we in- 
dulged with a sensible display of that heavenly 
country, inhabited by those who are dearest to us, 
and who are worthy of our most sublime affections 1 
The laborious and vain cares of this life would from 
that moment come to an end. Its duties would be 
forsaken, and all our powers and feelings would be 
lost in perpetual rapture. It is wisdom, therefore, 
that a veil is spread over the glories of futurity. 
Let us enjoy the hope that the happy land awaits us, 
and in the mean time let us fulfil with cheerfulness 
and patience what belongs to our present condition." 

POWER OF THE TRUTH. 
" God," said Dr. Clarke on one occasion, " will abide 
by his own truth, by whomsoever delivered ; by men 
however weak and defective, though we are not to 
confound occasional usefulness with a call to the 
ministry. A minister who understood nothing at all 
about experimental religion, was reading a sermon, 
in which the doctrine of forgiveness of sins through 
faith was alluded to. A poor man, already under 
serious convictions, on this occasion received a sense 
of pardon and acceptance with God ; — in the joy of 
his heart, he went to tell the minister of the blessing 
he had received — narrated his simple tale to the in- 
strument of his deliverance, and was surprised to find 
the preacher could not comprehend the subject ; de- 



rlarinc that there was not a passage in t 

he repaired to 
forthwith be 
ted with Hr- 
! then intei • is not 

■ near it boh 
I upon his ear, and 
*s the 
I the minister, 'this &enii< 
■.x ofturning one man ma<l. 
id instantly threw it 

lh to tho 
heart df mler the most on- 

promising circumstances." 

Kmassee is a country in Asia. north- 

» hina ; 
it belon years ago th- 

Ivhassee language, and a 

it into the country. 

.. hen they heart! him s}»- 

. heartily; hoi 

he began to open to them the truths of Sc; 

forcibly impressed, that they said M he 

was a god, and that they w.-rr hut cows and goats." 

time another went to them ; and 

a he had not -into to 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 399 

thing from God to say to us, come quickly ; other- 
wise we may be dead, and what you have to say will 
be of no use to us. What will then become of us !" 
One of the Christian converts said to the missionary, 
" The word of God is truly wonderful ; for I have 
some new thoughts whenever I look into it. I do 
not find it so with anything else. BuLthe word of 
God is like a fountain which sends forth fresh waters 
every day ; they are not the same, but although they 
differ, they are all very good. Even the same verse 
says something new whenever I look into it." 

YOUR VISIT IS KITSTD, BUT LATE. 
As an illustration of the danger of delay in warning 
men against the sin of drunkenness, the following 
story is told by Dr. King, in his work on the Ruling 
Elder :— 

One of the best elders I ever knew, was very ear- 
nest in acting upon the principle of promptly noticing 
what was wrong, and he related to me an incident 
which had mainly impressed its importance on his 
mind. A highly respectable member of the congre- 
gation in which he was an office-bearer, became sus- 
pected of exceeding in the use of ardent spirits. At 
first the suspicion was treated as a calumny, and the 
friends of the accused spoke of it with indignation. 
Nothing, therefore, was done in the matter — not so 
much as to institute any inquiry to ascertain the truth 
or untruth of the rumours. The suspected individual 
maintained, on the whole, his prior standing, and no 
one could be bold enough to confront him on the deli- 



100 MISCELLANEOUS. 

catc si,' rest, but from time 

always in a!' 
roborat 9 lil i the respectable aui 

not be charged, how \ ith the supposition 

decided and apparent, he was seen drunk one 

rang with the sad news; and 
to disci- 
pline. 

. along with si 
on the offender, to converse with him on the 
affecting his reputation, and summon him to 
session. He received them with a mourn- 
ful expression on his countenance. When t: 

d him of the occasion and design of their call, 
be replied to this effect : 

if is kind, but late. Had you come 
sooner, while I had a struggl 

But now 

; aiul I am a ruined man fore\ 
Shortly after he expired inajit 

THE i;ai : \ND THE I 

. i cently published N 
aerland, Rer. Hap: N 

of mind in which nothing but the got] 
afford peace, and illustraU 
mark — 

!f to be near dca: 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 401 

seized with deadly terror. It was in vain that her 
husband sought to console her. They had lived a 
thoughtless life, and she could not bear to stand be- 
fore the judgment-seat of God. ' Then let us send 
for the minister,' said her husband. ' What use is 
it V replied the sick person ; ' I know what he will 
say ; it avails nothing.' However, the minister was 
sent for. Being a young rationalist, who had often 
opposed evangelical doctrine, he endeavoured, when 
he reached the chamber of sickness, to console her 
by the memory of her domestic virtues, and by assur- 
ance of the boundless mercy of God. But his efforts 
were utterly vain ; all his fine speeches could not 
silence a reproachful conscience : she felt that the 
justice of God was in terrible array against her un- 
godliness, and the very mission of Christ convinced 
her of unpardonable ingratitude to the Redeemer. 
The minister was perplexed ; all his stores of com- 
mon-place, heartless palliatives to mental anguish 
were exhausted, and she wildly told him that she was 
wretched and undone. What could he say more % 
At that moment it flashed upon his mind that the 
evangelical doctrine which he had so often opposed, 
would silence all her fears ; it was precisely what 
her agonized mind was asking for ; it would be to her 
like water in the scorched desert. He knew the 
doctrine of justification by grace through faith well, 
for he had often maligned it ; he was familiar with 
the texts cited by evangelical ministers, for he had 
employed his powers of criticism to refute their 
evangelical meaning. If he could but speak to her 
26 



109 MISCELLANEOUS. 

as an STan^ lor, he might calm the 

anguish which he could scarcely bear to witness. 
H could he «ay w 

ren that agony by a lie? At least 

■ 

in that. 

and read toh- 

I whosoerei 
him should not i>eri>h, but have ev» 
4 \[i- that believeth on the S 

. . (1 turn, to them gare he power 
tobccon to them thai 

on his name. 1 'Therefore we conclud 
is Justified by faith without the deeds of th. 

fore, now no condemnation to them 
( 'hrist J 

to her -th, it was peace to 

• 

i loomed thi 
in the desert •■■• rain, held fast 

Lion, and died rejoicing in faith ; a sign 

our moral w. 

Allow that some » t starts^ 

not UWOh li. DO which w < 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 403 

God has promised to hear prayer, nor that other 
evidence on which we believe that he has actually- 
heard and answered it. The greatness of creation, 
and the littleness of man, the decrees of God, and 
the immutability of natural laws, would not stop his 
prayer, nor startle from his knees the man who 
could say, " Verily, God hath heard me ; he hath 
attended to the voice of my petition ;" but, superior 
to all speculative difficulties, because secure in his 
experimental knowledge, that wise and happy man 
would still pray on. And, to see the wisdom of this 
course, you have only to put a parallel case. In 
the infinite variety of this universe, there may be a 
world where the processes of growth, and decay, 
and reproduction, so familiar to us, are utterly un- 
known. Suppose that the inhabitant of such a 
world were transported to our own, and that he 
witnessed the husbandman's operations in spring. 
He might marvel what he meant. He might won- 
der why he cast these grains of corn into the 
ground ; and, when told that it was with a view to 
reproduce them a hundred-fold, the mysterious pro- 
cess might at once assume the aspect of infatuation, 
and he might begin to remonstrate with the labourer 
on this crazy waste of useful corn ; and, if this visitor 
from Jupiter or Saturn were as acute a metaphysician 
as many in our own world are, he might adduce many 
subtle arguments — too subtle, perhaps, for a farmer 
to refute. " Is not this a mad notion of yours 1 Do 
you really mean to affirm, that this particle of corn 
will grow into a hundred more 1 Nay, do you pre- 



.: you will p :»ole thia bard 

>.i i, and com' -.• monllu and 

do the glossy stems, the w 
leaves, and i vvheat-etalk ? 

re be- 

jroc bury diamonds and guineas, awl get th« 

liplied after the sam 

pl« ton ! do vmi not know that all these matter 

Ithaabeee 
foreordained, either that you are to have a crop 
next autumn, or that you are to 
former ease, vour present pains arc 
yuu will gel y.iur harvest without all this a 
the latter, your pains are useless, for noth. 
pn.cui' whew it is eot the purpose of 

Onmij n"U should have « I 

ploughman listen to all thi 

I with it. 11 l»e able 

iw the precise way in " h 
v on the future crop ; and he might not see at 

duetivc, whilst diamonds and l" 

4 all, might be able to dispose 
on. Bat ho would 

all th 

witbool a s. ■• -hat ho 

had ,. afficieoUy without reaping some- 

thing. And so, when • duo cornea in fi 
rleei world, in 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 405 

ing man may not be able to discuss tbem one by one 
— he may not even understand them — " But this I 
know, God is the hearer of prayer, and, verily, he 
hath heard myself." And, like the farmer, who 
scatters his seed heedless of all that has ever been 
said on necessity, and causation, and general laws, 
a wise believer will, in the face of hypothetic diffi- 
culties, proceed on ascertained facts, and, amidst ob 
jections and cavils, will persist to pray, and continue 
to enjoy the blessings which prayer procures. 

PRATER A PRIVILEGE. 
Imagine that there had been certain limitations on 
prayer. Imagine that there had only been one spot 
on the earth from which prayer could arise with ac- 
ceptance. Imagine — by no means inconceivable, 
for there was once something very like it — imagine 
that the Lord had selected some little spot of earth 
— a Mount Zion or a Holy Land — and said that here, 
and here only, was the place to worship. Imagine 
that from this hallowed spot alone there had existed 
a passage into heaven for the prayers of earth, and 
that all supplications, however earnest, uttered on 
the profane soil of the common globe, had gone for 
nothing. What a resorting we should have seen to 
this place of only prevalency ! When there occurred 
some conjuncture decisive of weal or wo to an indi- 
vidual or a family, or when a man became so anx- 
ious about his soul's salvation that nothing could 
content him save light from above, we should have 
seen the busy trader arranging for his protracted ab- 



MISCt 

sence, and ' I husbandman 

preparing for the perilous pilgrimage, ami 
tudes, « "re, re- 

heard and an- 

; imagine, further, that t: 
:.C day in the 
it those who arrived at the appointed place 
too late, found the gate of access closed : 
m \t tut U >• ii. ..:.::.-. the exi- 

Midden the emergen- 
nble to do aajthing till the weary year moved 
round, and brought back the one propitious day! — 
even thus restricted, would not | 
to he a privilege worth a pilgrimage, and worth a long 
on- waiting ? hat in our « 

revolution round the sun there was disclosed a 
.11 the sky ! — that on one night la the year, 
and on one mountain-top, there was a vista opened 
through the encircling vault, and a sight of dazzling 
glories revealed to all who gazed from 
summit ; — and fancy that through the brilliant gap 

recurred regularly on the - vening erery 

hat a concourse to that Pisga: 
count upon! How many eager eyes would strain 
hand till the first streak of 
radiance betokened the burstill - 1 how 

many emulous hands would rush together to 
thfl llaming rubies and the diamond ram! 
And just conceive — the only . 
hall make — that certain costly »»r arduous pn 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 407 

naries were essential in order to successful prayer ; 
suppose that a day's strict abstinence, or some pain- 
ful self-punishment, were exacted ; or that each 
worshipper were required to bring in his hand some 
costly offering — the choicest of his flock, or a large 
per centage on his income — and who would say that 
this was unreasonable? Would not access into 
God's own presence — a favour so ineffable — would 
it not be wisely purchased at any price, and might 
not sinful " dust and ashes" marvel that after any 
ordeal or purifying process it was admitted near 
such Majesty? 

But how stands the case ? Prayer is not a con- 
sultation with the highest wisdom which this world 
can supply. It is not intercourse with an angel or 
a spirit made perfect. But it is an approach to the 
living God. It is access to the High and Holy One 
who inhabiteth eternity. It is detailing in the ear 
of Divine sympathy every sorrow. It is consulting 
with Divine wisdom on every difficulty. It is asking 
from Divine resources the supply of every want. 
And this not once in a life-time, or for a few mo- 
ments on a stated day of each year, but at any mo- 
ment, at every time of need. 

PRAYER IN AFFLICTION. 
"Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray." 
" In agony nature is no atheist. The mind which 
knows not where to fly, flies to God." And to 
spring into the arms of Omnipotence, to find refuge 
in the bosom of Mercy, is to weep no longer. The 



108 

cring I 

• 

I put nn end to other an 
that rescued man opens his eyes beneath tome 
friendly roof, and instead of the watery winding- 
asters, finds htwwrff 
on a concli of warm comfort, his chamber glowing 
with the cheerful I i:dly face ready to 

greet his first waking, and see through the window 
the ship that is waiting to hear him back to his na- 
tive isle, — it may be true that he had treasures in 
the foundered vessel, and that some curious i 
cious things I mm may ■ 

ip from the devouring deep, — but how differ- 
ent his lot from the DOOf CMtftWl hilJows 
have landed on a desolate rock, and who, creeping 
about in his dripping ra?s, can find no food b 

. no foe! hut the crackling sea-weed, no hovel 

tor him. and no sail to waft him 

BO wrecked, and both have lost their all ; 
but in the joy ftl In his po- 

\ertv, and in i ! asylum from the wave* 

the odu nothing bat ■ prison and a tomb. 

|y similar Lb 1 n wlw 

.ml of him who, when ni 
— the man whom the bill., the dosolate 

theism, and t 
from the stun of dr. 
pavilion <'t" Goe?i own: nreneaoe. Both may have 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 409 

suffered equal losses. Both may have left a trea- 
sure in the deep. Both may have been washed 
empty-handed ashore. But the man of prayer is 
like the man who comes to himself in the, asylum of 
the friendly home. The bliss of present fellowship 
with God abates or banishes the grief of recent loss. 
On the lee-shore, which has shattered his frail bark, 
he is astonished to lift up his eyes and find himself 
the guest of a beloved friend, and in a familiar dwel- 
ling. He knows that he will land safe at last, and 
is happy even now. " Is any among you afflicted "? 
Let him pray." 

PRAY AND SUCCEED. 
It was to prayer that Henry IV. of France ascribed 
his crown, and Gustavus owed his victories. The 
father of the modern fine arts was wont, before he 
began any new composition, to invoke His inspira- 
tion who in other days taught Aholiab ; and the 
Goliath of English literature felt that he studied 
successfully when he had prayed earnestly. And 
what Michael Angelo and Milton and Johnson found 
so hopeful to their mighty genius cannot hinder us. 
You have read in our own history of that hero who, 
when an overwhelming force was in full pursuit, and 
all his followers were urging him to more rapid 
flight, coolly dismounted in order to repair a flaw in 
his horse's harness. Whilst busied with the broken 
buckle, the distant cloud swept down in nearer thun- 
der ; but just as the prancing hoofs and eager spears 
were ready to dash down on him, the flaw was 



410 MISCELLANEOUS. 

Beaded, the clasp was fastened, the steed was 

Boasted, and like a swooping falron he had vanished 

from t lid have 

! s disaOEl lorious 

ty back 

• •• same profit- 
able d. 

usiness of the day, 
ilcnts, and great his diligl 
.'.loping on a steed harnessed with a broken 
. and BOSt DOt marvel if, iii liis hottest haste, 
or most baza: be be left inglorious in the 

dust; and though it may occasion some littli 
he/oreBBd, his neighbotii • iio seta all in 

order before the march be 

Most persons, in the outset of their 
lightenment, are in the <• Mind man at 

Bethsaida when his • !. lie 

np and saw men like trues walkin 
•aw thai he was in s world of light, and 

vivacity ; but it was all a jombll 

walking trees — s medley (»t' light and motion. He 
had no clrar peroeptioDS — no sharp and definite 

But — another touch of I 

-he looked again, and the men walked and 
■■! still, tin' birds win 
over quivering ( Jalilee, and \o ' 
in the summer noon. At the i-ommcncemei 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 411 

religious inquiry, the man finds himself in a region 
of deep interest, but withal a region of dim outlines 
and flickering obscurity. His notions run into one 
another, and he has rather a confused impression of 
the extent of the landscape, than a clear perception 
of any one object in it. Like the man who con- 
founded walking people with growing trees, he is 
apt to confound one doctrine with another. He mis- 
takes faith for the Saviour. He blends together the 
gospel and the law, and thinks that there must be a 
change in himself before he is entitled to believe in 
Christ for salvation. And if, at this stage, friendly 
counsellors come in with their distinctions and ex- 
planations, they answer much the same purpose as 
a neighbour who should have endeavoured to ex- 
pound the landscape to the half-enlightened Galilean. 
After all his well-meant efforts, the scene would 
still have showed a medley of glimmering colours 
and dancing blotches, and nothing but another touch 
of the Omnipotent hand could project the whole into 
splendid distinctness. And, just as in the case of 
the dim-seeing Galilean, it was not so much a sun- 
shine as a ghost of light which saluted his eye-balls 
— so, in the outset of a spiritual earnestness, it is not 
the warm and radiant gospel which glads the ex- 
ploring vision, but a cold and hazy version of it. It 
is not a gospel over which the love of God sheds its 
flood of endearment, but a gospel in a mist — a gos- 
pel of conflicting attributes and ambiguous meaning, 
a gospel of dim love and doubtful kindness. And it 
is not till a power from on high imparts clearer per- 



v stands oat in as- 
■:]«»n the tool 
in its helming glor 

in this cue ■ 

icology 

and a * j religion, this is the way to get 

ought it in books and in 

sermons. Perhaps you have sought it in the Bible, 

and in close thinkin u hare not found it. 

u from abo-. | in prayer. 

shut the Bible and forsake the sanctuary. Don't 
ay the book, or cease to reflect and medi- 
the wisdom from on high. 1: 

uly it is not a 
| but it is a . | power 

of sharper discernment, and a more j 

" opening of your eyes" 

— this l 

Hut he will give it. 

ing, i 

nd, in the bi 
your views, and the strengthen;: 
will find that God if ,| truth, 

and, by the illumin v. making 

than all your | 

'. 

| m nt, and writes on the top of it, "To the 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 413 

Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, the humble peti- 
tion of So and so," but there he stops. He sits 
with the pen in his hand for half an hour, but does 
not add another word, then rises and goes his way. 
And he repeats this process day after day — begin- 
ning a hundred sheets of paper, but putting into them 
no express request ; sometimes, perhaps, scrawling 
down a few sentences which nobody can read, not 
even himself, but never plainly and deliberately set- 
ting down what it is that he desires. Can he won- 
der that his blank petitions and scribbled parchments 
have no sensible effect on himself nor on any one 
besides 1 And has he any right to say, " I wonder 
what can be the matter. Other people get answers 
to their petitions, but I am not aware that the slight- 
est notice has ever been taken of one of mine. I 
am not conscious of having got a single favour, or 
being a whit the better for all that I have written I" 
Could you expect it ? When did you ever finish a 
petition ? When did you ever despatch and forward 
one to the feet of Majesty ? 

THE METHOD OF APPROACH. 

It is competent to the sovereign to fix the channel 
through which he desires that his subjects should 
transmit their petitions ; and there is a day's-man 
appointed ; and, so to speak, it is a standing order 
in the court of heaven, that each petition from earth 
shall be transmitted through " the minister of the 
new covenant" — through that divine person on 



II 1 

whose shoulder is devolved the government . 

that any one should try to overleap this si 
order— '. any one should either 

Jtabborooeae .scorn it, or in his carelessnesa 

•n in his own 

name— can 1 n so flagrant 

should i may be 

but the m is wronp. 

this is d mere eti»met, like some of the 

court ari of earth, but a matter i 

import, and neant to fulfil exalted ends. It is dc- 

in honour of the Prince of Peace, to 
memorable interposition it is owing that than 
loyalty in tins revolted world, and to whose admi- 

and to v. 

should 1 would present an accept - 

■ tition, and :urn to his ; 

must remember that saying of i 
Belf| " What 

that will 1 do, that the Father may be gl 
in the B 

\ < im.n who has : 

who looks at u through t: .\ think 

bcaatiful. \ at in its 

folds of green and gold, an pes sparkle in 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 415 

jects, and the child may long to grasp it. " But 
what man is there among you who is a father, if his 
son ask a serpent, will he give him the serpent V 
And supposing that the fretful child should weep 
because he is not allowed to fondle the asp, could 
worse befall him than just to be allowed to 
smash the case and clutch the envenomed reptile 1 
The Lord has sometimes permitted his imperious 
and wayward children thus to punish themselves ; 
but more frequently and more mercifully, he refuses 
their hearts' deceitful lust. One sets his eye on 
the golden serpent, and prays that God would make 
him rich. But the Lord still keeps the shining ser- 
pent beyond his reach ; for should he have succeeded 
in hugging it to his bosom, it might have stung him 
with many sorrows, or even plunged him in perdition. 
Another sets his eye on the fiery flying serpent of 
fame, and wonders after it, and wishes that he too 
could fix his reputation to it, and see his own name 
flickering as a part of its meteor-train in its flight 
through the firmament. But this wish is also re- 
fused — and instead of a dizzy and dangerous re- 
nown, he is appointed to a safe obscurity. And 
sometimes requests, right or religious-looking, are 
refused. When the mother of Zebedee's children 
came and said, " Grant that these my two sons may 
sit, the one on thy right hand and the other on thy 
left, when thou comestin thy kingdom," — there was 
a plausibility and a certain faith in the petition. It 
assumed that Christ had indeed a kingdom, and was 
yet to come gloriously, and it said that the highest 



I 

re is a 
Little creature know n to naturalist 
. 
clothed apon, it descends u 

aod vou may see the lilt!- tag about dry 

and at 1 by 1'is cr 

Ifcmgh the water all around ami above be stagnant 

ami bitter. Prayer is such a protector— a transpa- 

itore, the world sees it not— but, a r- 
fenoe, it keeps out the world. By moans of it the 
believer can gather so much of heaven's aim 
around him, and with it descend into the putrid 

of this contaminating world, that for a season 

will touch him ; and he e to as- 

cend for a new supply. 

EEPEATE 
Tm: following amusing anecdoti 
or a bad application. A 

be repeated becaust tht \ 

product To rely, solely or en 

util'ul illustm': 

■ 
Church, I 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 417 

the preparations of former years engenders idleness, 
stifles genius, and gradually diminishes the preacher's 
interest in the truths he delivers ; giving to his audi- 
ence, in place of fresh and vigorous discourses, 
those that are stale, flat, and lifeless. Preaching be- 
comes a mere work of memory — a sort of school-boy 
declaiming, and the hearer is as little affected as 
the preacher. The moment a minister ceases to 
study — to bring forth new things as well as old 
— that moment he begins to decline in popularity 
and usefulness. 

It was on Monday morning, says the narrator, that 
I called upon the Rev. Dr. P., of Edinburgh, whom 
I found in a most merry laughing mood. 

" Why, what's the matter, Doctor, that you are so 
merry so early in the morning ?" 

"Had you been here a little earlier," said he, 
" you would have been laughing too. Did you meet 
a man going down the court as you came up it 1" 

" I did, doctor." 

" Take a chair, then, till I can tell you the object 
of his so early visit to me on Monday morning." 

He laughed again, after which, by screwing and 

bracing, he succeeded to finish the tale, when 

laughed more than the doctor. 

" The person you met in the court," said the doc- 
tor, " is one of my people, who felt it his duty to 
make so early a call this morning, to reprove me for 
a very great sin, which he conceived me to be guilty 
of committing yesterday. 

" Yesterday morning I preached from such a text, 
27 



418 MISCELLANEOUS. 

M aAer- 
1 
1 the same discourse to his people. 

t1 this person, whom you met in the 
down after the morning senrice to 
ighter, who was si 

when, lo ! who shot, 
heard in the morning, and what shou! 
the same sermon! ! This, sir, constituted t: 
heinous sin of which I was guilty — the pr. 
at Leith the same sermon which 1 had preaehed at 
Edinburgh. And so grievously great, in his ac- 
count, is this my sin, that I oncrht therefor to be re- 
buked ; and to discharge which act of brotherly kind- 
ness to mc was the object of this so t 
morning. 

is not in the habit of call 
rather surprised mc ; the more so on Monday morn- 
ing, at BO early an hour. 
" I could perceive by his rather hur: 

..inner that he wanted to say something 
he knew not how to introduce. I 
fore, I said, 4 John, 1 apprehend you have calk 
DM fox some certain purpose; if so, procce 
form mc of the object of your i 

ie humming, much ridding of the 
accompanied by some few mutt< 

1. 1 ami sorrow he fell that there should have 
< xisted such c 
you not preach yesterday morning from such i 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 419 

■ ' Yes, John.' 

" ' After morning service, I went down to Leith to 
visit my daughter, who is sick, and being there, 
thought I would step in and hear Mr. E. preach, but 
found you in the pulpit in his stead ; and did you not 
there preach the same sermon you preached in your 
own church in the morning V 

" ' I did, John, and I will tell you why I did it. I 
was some miles off, in another town, and in another 
congregation. If my sermon was of importance to 
you in Edinburgh, it certainly was so for them in 
Leith. But, John, I very well observe the object of 
your early visit. The questions you have put inform 
me both of its nature and design. You do not intend, 
I presume, to number me among the ' dumb dogs that 
cannot bark? but you rank me among the ' idle shep- 
herds? because I preached the same sermon at Leith 
in the afternoon that I had delivered in the morning 
at Edinburgh, being too lazy, as you suppose, to pre- 
pare another for them there ; and you felt it your 
duty, did you not, to call upon me to reprove me for 
such conduct V 

" 'I did, doctor ; yet not exactly to reprove you, 
but to warn you against such conduct in future, as I 
consider it very improper, if not very sinful.' 

"'I thank you, John, and am willing to believe 
you my friend, and that you are sincere in what you 
have done.' 

" ' I am all you say, doctor, and more too.' 

" ' That I am ready to admit, John, yet must tell 
you that I am more than a little skeptical as to what 



you affirm respecting the sinfulness ami impr< 
. 

s such as in > was, 

ttd to a new c 
:is 1 am, ami unable as 1 feel to bel;- 
artlv u: 
in your power, John, 

the s;ime - 
I felt, John, thai I 
an important and solemn m 

lv eakoJated, aided by the Spirit of < rod, I 
Dish and edify, not our church only, bul 
tian society ;' and could not fail i 

M in every sanctified breast that I 
to it. 1 
" i h vaa all yon 

impressive Bermon ; a convincii 
course— just such a 

in her presenl circumstances, requires; and. 
it wafl so plain that all could understand ami I 
her it.' 
"•Well, John, as to the 

had an advanl 

bare heard 

ting of tins sermon you have il 

i f the prop:. 

piicty of preachin sermon a m ■ 

more times even at home. Now from 

you have heard it twice, and thai bul 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 421 

hope you are able to repeat for the assistance of 
others, and the edification of your own soul, the 
greater part of it, and the more especially so since 
you say it was so plain and easy to be remembered. 
The introduction to the sermon was neither lengthy 
nor far-fetched ; you are able to tell me how I intro- 
duced it V 

" After a good deal of shifting, and changing of 
his position on his seat, he said, 

" ' Well, no, doctor, I have pretty much forgotten 
the manner in which you introduced the subject.' 

"'Well, John, you cannot have forgotten the di- 
visions of the discourse. There was nothing artifi- 
cial about them ; they arose naturally out of the text, 
and were such as every reflecting mind could not 
fail to see. What was the first V 

"It, too, was lost in forgetfulness. 

" ' Well, the second, what was it ? Well, let us 
pass to the third ; can you tell me it V 

" Nor could one of them be produced. 

" ' Well, John, you cannot possibly have forgotten 
the improvement made of the subject. You very 
well remember, I doubt not, the many and various 
classes of characters therein addressed, and the 
many and important Christian duties inculcated. The 
improvement, John, was of all the sermon the most 
awful, solemn, and impressive part. It you cannot 
surely have forgotten V 

" ' It was, sir, it was. It made a deep impression 
on my mind, and I could see very well it did on 
many others also ; but, doctor, I have a bad memory, 



and am sorry to say I can repeat but little of the im« 

" 1 wailed some tim^ for that 'little,' but 
that the improvement also was . i said, 

" • \N from convincing me 

of the sinfulness and impropriety of preaching a ser- 
mon a iecoed time when 1 go from home that you 

i.'-w duty I aerer thought of before, nam< 
preaching of important sermons twice and again at 
home. 

" ' When you go home, John, you had better re- 
flect upon the object of your visit to me ; and while 
you are doing that, I shall rellect whether it is not 
my duty to you. to preach next Sunday mot 
third time, the same sermon, with a view to assist 
your so treacherous memory. ' 

" I need not add that John retired, apparently suf- 
fering by most mortified I 

Where is that church in which are not to be found 
many such Johns] All cry fy, t'v, at the repetition 
of a sermon, but try them as John was tried, and you 
will find that bad memories are the curse not of John 
alone. But how appalling thee 
a state of things ! how discouraging to minisfc 
how ruinous to immortal souls ! How numerous in 
every church the " wajftidt 

1'AKTlAI.nV XO 0X3 

■ Sarnie tie the i p sit in 

judgment On their own case. In human afl 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 423 

is the appropriate business of the law to fix the ill- 
desert of crime ; it is the business of impartial men 
to decide according to evidence, whether this ill- 
desert attaches to the individual accused." But 
this is not the course of impenitent men. They as- 
sume to say what the law should be ; in other words, 
to legislate for their Maker. " If a human legisla- 
ture, composed of Sabbath-breakers, were to enact 
laws which should define the amount of guilt that 
should attach to Sabbath-breaking, or if a legislature 
of gamblers, or of duellists, or of adulterers, or of 
pirates, or of murderers, were to enact laws defining 
the guilt of gambling, duelling, piracy, or murder, 
who does not see that they would be under irresist- 
ible temptations to diminish the turpitude of these 
crimes V Or if a jury of thieves were summoned 
to sit in judgment upon a thief, a companion in 
guilt ; who does not see that their verdict would not 
be very likely to be impartial ] But stronger still 
would be the case if twelve men, accused of theft, 
and put upon their trial, should be taken from the 
prisoner's box, and placed upon the juror's bench, 
and ordered to bring in a verdict of guilty or not 
guilty in their own case. 

JOHN WILMOT, EARL OF ROCHESTER. 
Vhis nobleman was a man of uncommon acuteness 
of intellect, and conversational powers of the highest 
order. He has been well described as a great wit, 
a great sinner, and a great penitent. " He told me," 
says Bishop Burnett, " that Mr. Parsons read to 



■ 

|,im the fifty-third chapter 

which : ; 

in their hands aa ■ t>"<»k divinelj 

. 

which did so enlighi 

could resist it no longer. For the words 
had an authority that did shoot Uke rays or beams 
in /us mind, so that he was not only convin 
the reasoning he had about it, which 
understanding, but by a power which did so 
ually constrain him, that he did ever after bell 
.viour, as If he had seen him in the el 

love FOB Tin: OLOfi 

" The preacher," knew a piou- 

who had been reduced from a mam 
polled to occupy a hired and contracted apartment ; 
yet nothing in the humiliating and distn 

i to affect her, but her want now of a place 
crlusion to indulge her private 

CONVERTED ASTRONOMER 

It was a fine reply oi 

who, when interrogated concerning U 

had been idolising, answered, - 1 am now bound km 

hearer*, and tafc 



ILLUSTRATIONS, 425 

KEY. J. W. FLETCHER. 
" I have heard him say," says Mrs. Fletcher, " that 
when he lived alone in his house, the tears have 
come into his eyes when five or six insignificant let- 
ters have been brought him, at three or fourpence 
a-piece ; and perhaps he had only a single shilling 
in the house to distribute among the poor, to whom 
he was going. He frequently said to me, ' O, Polly, 
can we not do without beer 1 Let us drink water, 
and eat less meat. Let our necessities give way to 
the extremities of the poor.'" 

EVIDENCE OF DEPRAVITY. 
The desire to be saved without holiness is proof of 
depravity. Such a proposition would shock any 
holy being. Suppose it were made to an angel, or 
the spirit of a just man made perfect. "Would he 
not stand aghast at the very thought 1 Would he 
not regard it as a blasphemy, which could only ori- 
ginate in the bosom of a fiend 1 a blasphemy that had 
come up from the depths of hell itself 1 Such a de- 
sire, and common it is with sinners, is sin ; a sin to 
be lamented ; a sin to be repented of ; a sin to be be- 
wailed ; a sin to prostrate us in dust and ashes before 
God. To be saved without holiness ! To be saved 
in sin ! It is a contradiction in terms. It is like 
talking of health, of possessing health, while dying 
of an eating cancer, or of an incurable leprosy. To 
be saved in heaven, without being saved on earth 
from sin — without holiness ! Why holiness is the 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

very esscnco of hearen. " It is a mistake to think 
hntr or musir of paradis< 
il a place uf rejoicm 

of Us splendour — its eve: 
I in our presence — its anthems might 
[led by its full choirs, and yet it be no I 
at all to us. " It is bee 

; there, that rapture will 

i he abode of purity, that it is the 
abode of peace and pleasantness. It is because 
every heart thrills with love, that in every heart 

Lb beatitude unspeakable. It U 
that calls forth hallelujahs of ecstasy unspeakable 
which ring eternally in heaven. In a word, it is not 
an animal but a spiritual festival, whiel 
for us in the mansions above ; and in these mansions 

continuance in well-doing, , lory and im- 

mortality." 

KEEP THY HEART WITH ALL D 
4i When the heart of man is bound b\ 
(.'.id, ami tied by the golden bands of 
watched by angels, and tended by mil 

of the soul, it is : man to 

wander, and the evil of his heart be 1: 
ness of lions' whelps. Hut when he ha 
the In >'' into the strength i 

the licentiousness of ungoverm 
I'ul to observe what a great inundation <•!' m 

in a very short time will overflow all I 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 427 

reason and religion. Vice is first pleasing, then it 
grows easy, then it is delightful, then it is frequent, 
then habitual, then confirmed ; then man is inde- 
pendent, then he is obstinate, then he resolves 
never to repent, then he dies, then he is damned." 

DIFFERENCE - BETWEEN THE DOUBTING 
CHRISTIAN AND THE SKEPTIC. 

There are unquestionably weak Christians, who, 
not well instructed in the evidences of Chris- 
tianity, meet with ingenious sophisms and cavils 
which trouble them. But there is a vast difference 
between them and those whose vicious lives make 
them wish religion were not true. The latter would 
gladly believe less than they do, and the former 
would gladly believe more. These skeptics are 
tormented with apprehensions that the Bible is true, 
while these feeble Christians are perplexed with 
suggestions to doubt, which are as unwelcome to 
them as the apprehensions of its truth are to the 
others. 

LOVE IS ALL THE GRACES COMBINED. 

It takes all the colours of the rainbow combined to 
form that pure beautiful white light which God has 
diffused abroad over this fair creation. The prism 
separates the ray into its constituent elements, bring- 
ing out the red, the orange, the purple, green, &c. 
Just so it is with love. Love is all the graces com- 
bined. A heart full of love is a heart adorned with 



Mfsn 

"ilfilling 
of tin 

i 
rnys, and brings out sun 

rate from the rest. Thus 
insult calls out ami exhibit ekness 

■ i /ram f ht 1 

I rknessy 
faith — continued annoyances, long-suffen 

its, fidelity — dangers, courage — sw 
of otht r#, sympathy. But all these are nothing more 
nor less than that lovo which " doth not behave itself 

nly, is not easily provoked, bean 
hopcth, and endureth all things ; that love that is 
without partiality and without hypocrisy, that is 
lull of mercy and of good frur 

THE DEVOUT CHRISTIAN 

Has been compared to a full goblet. Just aa the 

slightest motion makes it run over, so every little in- 

cident awakens pious sentiments, and every little 

paiMOB his heart to overflow with gratitude. 

3 BY RELM 

store by the Hamilton, 

in the Presbyterian Messi ng< r, the followu 
dent is related : — " \ uple, in the ■ 

of London, \\lu>. in the early part oflifl 
but who, l>v the blessing of God upon their industry, 
I :i comfortable independency in tlwir i 
illed upon l>v a Christian minister. \\ ' 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 429 

cited their contributions to a charity. The old lady- 
was disposed to make out some excuse, and to an- 
swer in the negative, both for her husband and her- 
self; and therefore replied, " Why, sir, we have 
lost a deal by religion since we began : my husband 
knows that very well." And being willing to obtain 
her husband's consent to the assertion, she said, 
" Have we not, Thomas V Thomas, after a long 
and solemn pause, replied, " Yes, Mary, we have 
lost a deal by our religion. I have lost a deal by 
my religion. Before I got religion, Mary, I had got 
a water-pail, in which I carried water, and that you 
know I lost many years ago. And then I had an 
old slouched hat, a patched old coat, and mended 
shoes and stockings ; but I have lost them also long 
ago. And, Mary, you know that, poor as I was, 
I had a habit of getting drunk, and quarrelling 
with you ; and that, you know, I have lost. And 
then I had a hardened conscience, and a wicked 
heart ; and then I had ten thousand guilty feelings 
and fears ; but all are lost, completely lost, and like 
a mill-stone cast into the deepest sea. And, Mary, 
you have been a loser too, though not so great a 
loser as myself. Before we got religion, Mary, you 
had got a washing-tray, and washed for hire, and 
God Almighty blessed your industry. But since we 
got religion you have lost your washing-tray. And 
you had a gown and bonnet much the worse for 
wear, though they were all you had to wear, but 
you have lost them long ago. And you had many 
an aching heart concerning me at times, but those 



130 Misci. 

you na^ od I could even wish that 

•*t, and even more ; 

DM by our : v, will be our 

eternal I not go 

away without substantial proof mil Thomas deemed 

Rations 
to divine merry and goodness. 

the progress of a protracted meeting, held in 

Johnstown, Ohio, by the Rev, Mr. C of the 

Methodist Episcopal Church, it so happened that 
most of the persons who came forward to th 
for the prayers of the church were females ; 
UM J Oe ed some objectors to Bay that weak-minded 
| • 

which came to the ears of Mr. C . The next 

evening of the meeting, he took occasion to notice 
their objections as follows, as near as I can re- 
member : — 

" Well, friends, we have had a very profitable 
meeting lo-nighk I wish, -e a lit- 

'•tion 1 heard of to-day concerning on 
ing. Bona ; said that this is no- 

the work of I .11 the seekers 

arc BmaiM : they, moreover, challei: 

why th' -port i.»n of the weaker sex 

but see hen : Two I had occasion to go 

to preach to the prisoners in the Ohio peniu 
Now, how did it happen that there were more than 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 431 

four hundred males, and but about half a dozen of 
the weaker sex ! When you answer this, I will be 
prepared to speak to your question." 

CECIL IN SICKNESS. 
Mr. Cecil, during a severe illness, said to a person 
who spoke of it, " It is all Christ. I keep death in 
view. If God does not please to raise me up, he in- 
tends me better. 'I know in whom I have be- 
lieved.' How little do we think of improving the 
time while we have opportunity ! I find everything 
but religion only vanity. To recollect a promise of 
the Bible, this is substance ! Nothing will do but 
the Bible. If I read authors, and hear different 
opinions, I cannot say this is truth ! I cannot grasp 
it as substance ; but the Bible gives me something to 
hold. I have learned more within these curtains, 
than from all the books I ever read." 

ELATED AND DEPRESSED. 
" One Lord's day," a minister writes in his diary, 
" my mind was borne down by a sense of my unpre- 
paredness for the work of the day ; my fears rose so 
high, as greatly to affect my body. This fear, as to 
its nature, was an apprehension of being left to bar- 
renness in the work of the day. Its cause was view- 
ing the greatness of the work, and the weakness of 
my own abilities, without looking to God. Its cure, 
I thought, must be a view of the Lord's ability to 
help me, and a reliance on him for aid. I went to 
meeting in the depth of fear, but the Lord did not 



Both in 
I 
After this my proud 

. justly left uiu to grcal contractedness 
ui the 

the pre raa 

language of 

1 if it any I 
exalted -ure, like Hesekiah, th 

bjunble themselves for the pride of thou 

was this da] 

■ ... r Erekine in his 

of mind, on the com] 

ed me, and which 1 was preparing for E 

sacrament, on the 30th of tbia 

i wonder that the Lord— he v 
holds tli.- proud afar oil* — 
visible way, on this account. I prayed to tl 
to deliver me from pride of gifts. it is a I 
.sin. o Lord, keep me from it, and help m 
humble, to he Like Christ; and to preach Can 
not to preach my.-i \(." 

A P00B BERMOM may in ' 
At one time, wh< and Ralph i 

both pleached on the Monday after the oeV 
of the Lord's Supper si I 
livered an excellent discourse, with l 
animation and dignity, while the latter fell cod 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 433 

bly short of his usual fluency and fervour. Shortly 
after the close of the worship, when the two brothers 
had an opportunity of conversing privately together, 
Ebenezer gently intimated to Ralph, that it appear- 
ed to him the sermon he had preached that day was 
not so substantial and interesting as usual ; on which 
Ralph made a reply to this effect : "True, brother ; 
but if my poor sermon humble me, perhaps I shall 
reap greater advantage from it, than you from your 
great sermon. 1 ' 

DID NOT MENTION HIMSELF. 
" On a visit to London," says the Rev. J. Campbell, 
in a letter to a minister, " I was expressing a great 
desire to see the late Mr. Charles of Bala, with 
whom I had corresponded for three years concern- 
ing a remarkable revival which had taken place 
under his ministry. Mr. C. happening to be in town 
at the same time, your father kindly took me to Lady 
Ann Erskine's, where he resided. We spent there 
two happy hours. Your father requested Mr. C. to 
favour us with a brief outline of the circumstances 
which led to the remarkable revival at Bala, and its 
surrounding region, its progress, &c. He did so for 
upwards of an hour. On our leaving him, your father 
said, ' Did you not observe the wonderful humility 
of Mr. C. in the narrative he gave 1 Never having 
once mentioned himself, though he was the chief 
actor and instrument in the whole matter.' " 
28 



Misrr: 

PAYS01TS MBBS 

The secretary of the Am- tion Society, 

visiting Dr. Payson shortly before his death, asked 
for a message whtc him to 

he received the t 
pro m p Ui : — " What if God shot;] ; :r hand 

ood, and tell you to inscribe on it a *• 
which should he read :it tho net day, and shown 

- an index of your own thoughts and feelings, 

what tare, what caution would you exercise in the 

selection! Now, this is what God has don» Bt 

von immortal minds, more im- 

Me than the diamond, on which you are about 
to inscrihe every day and every hour, by your instruc- 
tions, by your spirit, or by your example, som 
which will remain, and be for or against 

you at tiie judgment 

FAITH. 
; >nakv who hail brought over a native from 
India, was surprised one day by to him, 

: . what wieked men the* 
<lo yon think they have been telling me ' Tin 
Umg me that in I 

water gen bo hard that m I upon it ; but 

■ 

n plied, " But it is so, my dear, and now 
yon believe it, don't yon 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 435 

A STRANGER AT HOME. 
An influential country gentleman, a patron of a 
church, who, in his way, showed great kindness to 
a clergyman, was hearing the minister preach on a 
subsequent Sabbath. When the patron had reached 
home, immediately after attending church, he said, 
" Here is gratitude for you ; here I and my family 
have shown this man the greatest kindness, and the 
return he makes when he gets into the pulpit, is to 
tell us that we are great sinners unless we repent. 
He preaches that our good works go for nothing be- 
fore God. This sermon will do very well for a peni- 
tentiary, or Newgate ; but before a genteel and re- 
spectable audience, to tell them that they are sin- 
ners, is the most extraordinary conduct that I ever 
met with." 

CHEERFUL MUSIC. 
When the poet Carpani inquired of his friend Haydn, 
how it happened that his church music was always 
so cheerful, the great composer made a most beauti- 
ful reply. " I cannot," he said, " make it otherwise ; 
I write according to the thoughts I feel : when I 
think upon God, my heart is so full of joy that the 
notes dance and leap, as it were, from my pen ; and 
since God has given me a cheerful heart, it will be 
pardoned me that I serve him with a cheerful 
spirit." 



436 

Tin: 'TE8. 

It is recorded of one of th- that when he 

had acquitted himself in a public disputation with 

nd begged to 
notes which hr had been obea 

I he ha»l tnk arguments of 

his oppn lthe substaii 

reply. « m ho surprised to find that his 

notes consisted simply of these ejaculatory p< I 
• IftM light, Lord, — more light, mm 

'•tx what maxnkr no you go to god?" 

OKI Mr. DttTiSB, I voting man, being under n 
impreasj : his mind to Dr. Owen. In the 

course of conversation, Dr. < I 

man, pray, in what mai; 

tor, Sir." "That is easily B 

. it is another this 
throagh the* Mediator, than many who make 

i-reach- 
ed son* bile I had hut very little, 

■fCqnsintanee with access to God through Cb 
til the Lord was pleased : ■ ith a sore af- 

fliction, by which I was brought to the brink «'!' tho 

bisk my mind was filled with hor- 
ror; l>ut Ood was grmeiooaly pleased to reli 
son! by i powerful application of Ps. exxx. I 
there i w w ith thee, that thou i 

be feared ' From tl 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 437 

peace, and comfort, in drawing near to God through 
the Mediator ; and on this text I preached immedi- 
ately after my recovery." Perhaps to this exercise 
of mind we owe his excellent exposition of this 
Psalm. 

PROFANENESS IN PRAYER. 
An aged minister told me, that when he was a young 
man, he had, on a certain occasion, been praying in a 
family, and in his prayer he made a very frequent and 
energetic use of the terms " good God," and " God 
Almighty." At the close of his prayer, a little child, 
about four years of age, came to his mother, and 
said, " Mother, I don't like to hear that minister 
pray." " Why V inquired the mother. " Because," 
said the child, " he swears so when he prays." 
This reproof from the child broke the minister of the 
habit of swearing when he prayed. Prayer is peti- 
tion ; and no one would use the name of a ruler, to 
whom he was making a petition, in as harsh a man- 
ner as many use the name of the great God. 

PACTS AGAINST SPECULATIONS. 
A European may know more than a savage, and a 
scholar may know more than either ; but none of 
them can know for certain anything except facts, 
which they have observed for themselves, or facts 
which have been revealed to them by others. 

But whilst these are the limits of human certainty, 
they are not the limits of human curiosity. In our 
anxiety to be wise beyond what is ascertainable, we 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

have invented a transcendental metaphysics, — a 
science the acutest < i ell ecu 

have bestowed themselves, and to whose lit 
some of the most eloquent argument and fine 
Limes and modern has contr: 

M all its curious questions 
ami doublsome answers — the accum u 
thousand years — has not added a single atom 
domain of ascertained truth or actual knowledge. If 
you could conceive the fowls of heaven su 
seized with a strong desire to get aw 
globe altogether, — |f you could imagine them all at 
different elevations in the atmosphere, according to 
ngth of their pinions, or the lightness of their 
forms, hut all, beak uppermost, st . ilutter- 

,ving their way a little and a little 
hi the rarefied medium, you wool 
idea of the o and the 

several votaries. s to as- 

certain truths regarding which wc have no informa- 
tion, and there may doubtless he many such truths, 
— but are they ascertainable * Tin 
planets 

each them, — 
but are they accessible ? A bird of powerful pinion, 
or .singular a mile above his 

llutterin^ competitors, and as an affair of aerial gym- 

. the fruitless effort 
but the wmi; wbieh is farthest I 

.Mill a thoMtad tunes farther fan nearest 

d, in the metaph] 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 439 

away from the regions of absolute information — the 
terra firma of positive truth — there has been a won- 
derful display of mental power and buoyancy, but the 
subtle spirit which has mounted the highest above 
the ascertained and the actual of our restricted hu- 
manity, is still infinitely distant from the next nearest 
domain of knowledge. As some one has truly re- 
marked, " To know more, we first must be more." 

FAITH AND WORKS. 
On the Frith of Forth was an old ferryman, a man 
of much thought and observation, but of few words ; 
a constant student of the Bible, and a firm believer 
in its truths. Among his patrons were two loqua- 
cious companions, whose business led them across 
the river once a week. One of them was, as he sup- 
posed, a high-toned Calvinist, while the other ima- 
gined himself to be equally well grounded in the 
tenets of Arminius. Their conversation always 
turned upon some doctrinal point. The ferryman 
was frequently annoyed by the repetition of faith 
on one side, and works on the other, because they 
were used in a sense so different from their real 
import, and so destructive of their scriptural har- 
mony. 

At length the patient old man felt obliged to inter- 
fere. He said nothing, but fell upon the following 
expedient. Upon one of his oars he painted the 
word Faith ; upon the other, Works. It was not 
long before the zealous but friendly disputants ap- 
plied for a passage over the Forth. Upon entering 



440 MISCELLANEOUS. 

the dee p est part ot where the swollen 

with fearful violence, the ferrv- 

and pulled sway opon 

ks" with all I Die U.at went round 

and rouud, much to the SO 

two passengers. " Put out the i >aid one 

of them, in a loud aud angry tone. "Very well," 
was the calm reply of the old man— at the seme 

The experiment with this oar produced the 
-ult, and drove the witnesses of it to the con- 
clusion that the ferryman was head. 11 
The old man, however, continued his M practical de- 
on the water, until he thoofht the 
friends were prepan 

i called their attention to the names of his 
re trad your way," said he- 

•beerve 

the 1 i 1 1 ! * 

heiBstH ..:ht and rapid flight 

which she touk for the landing. 

i'OM. 
Thi B irth, in his "Saxon Gram 

. ' -acts from the oldest Ssxon 

i n and writ* onver- 

sation betweea Boethiusand ku 
soeietimne rery much disturbed," quoth be, 
ui.ai »" 1 leeweied. " li ieh thou say- 

Ircedom to 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 441 

as well as good, whichsoever he will ; and thou say- 
est, also, that God knoweth everything before it 
happens." " Then," quoth he, " I may very easily 
answer this remark. How would it look to you, if 
there were any very powerful king, and he had no 
freemen in all his kingdom, but that all were slaves V 
" Then," said I, " it would not seem to me right, 
nor reasonable, if servile men only should attend 
upon him." " Then," quoth he, " what would be 
more unnatural than if God, in all his kingdom, had 
no free creatures under his power \ He therefore 
made rational creatures free, — angels and men. 
He gave them the great gift of freedom. Hence 
they could do evil as well as good, whichsoever they 
would. He gave this very fixed gift, and a very 
fixed law with that gift, to every man unto this end. 
The freedom is, that man may do what he will ; and 
the law is, that He will render to every man accord- 
ing to his works, either in this world or the future 
one, — good or evil, whichsoever he doeth." 

A BLESSING OJST OUR STUDIES. 
" Thanks to Divine goodness," says Dr. Payson, 
" this has been a good day to me. Was favoured 
with considerable freedom in the morning, and re- 
joiced in the Lord through the day. In the even- 
ing felt an unusual degree of assistance, both in 
prayer and study. Since I began to beg God's 
blessing on my studies, I have done more in one 
week than in the whole year before. Surely it is 
good to draw near to God at all times." 



442 MI8CK 

v Mr. I/f'o; 

i person pre- 

iw, if we de- 

unjust, : 

tinucth not in all ilie words of the law to (In 
tad eried oat, •• How can this I I whoso- 

ev<-r .shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one 
point, he is guilty of all ! How can this be 
.1 merits, and brea 
not kept the majority ? And . 

ren, because i 
kept two more than I haye broken !" Inefc 
into an ai 

ay was 
. the wind roared, the thunder pealed, the 
liu'htnini: was vivid, the v. 

»llen, and the current rapj 
iofahated elements threatened destruction to 
lid outlive tip 
for any length of tin 

a in distress, filled with people, rapid 
. the wave- 

thunder the 

fear tin- rocks on ti. which the c e r r ed is 

thnii. Wh .' ■ for them ' 

tin \ hut he draw n into litis cr< 
I . un the shore lo- :, 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 443 

and discover a chain near them. A man instantly 
fastens a stone to a rope, binds the other end to the 
chain, and flings the stone into the boat. The rope 
is caught ; the people eagerly lay hold on the chain, 
while those on shore begin to draw them, amid the 
raging elements, towards the creek. They already 
rejoice at the prospect of deliverance ; but when they 
are within a few yards of the land, one link of the 
chain breaks ! I do not say ten links, but one link 
in the middle of the chain. What shall these dis- 
tressed people do now 1 — shall they still cling to the 
unbroken links 1 ' No, no !' exclaimed one of my 
hearers ; ' overboard with the chain, or it will 
sink them sooner.' What then shall they do % 
1 Cast themselves upon the mercy of God,' ex- 
claimed another. True, I replied ; if one command- 
ment be broken, it is as though all of them were 
broken. We cannot be saved by them ; we must 
trust in the mercy of God, and lay hold on the 
almighty hand of Christ, which is stretched out to 
save us." Mr. L. frequently used this parable, and 
always found it to answer. 

THE BEST MEANS OF MORTIFYING SL¥. 
" Five persons," says Mr. Brooks, " were studying 
what were the best means to mortify sin ; one said, 
to meditate on death ; the second, to meditate on 
judgment ; the third, to meditate on the joys of 
heaven ; the fourth, to meditate on the torments of 
hell ; the fifth, to meditate on the blood and suffer- 
ings of Jesus Christ ; and certainly the last is the 



444 MISCELLANEOUS. 

choice* mod strongest motive of all. If ever we 
would east off oar despairing thoughts, we must 

(id muse much epoc this precious 

hlood to our own souls ; so shall sorrow and laoiua 

haj floe away." 

"TOWHATOAU8K8 IN ! 

JU'l 
At i ■misters 4 meeting at Northampton, a question 
was discussed to the following purport : — " To what 
causes in ministers nay much of their want of suc- 
cess be imputed !" The answer turned i 
upon the want of personal religion ; particularly the 
aling with < •• prayer. 

Pheir pastors are be- 
utish, and h there- 

.1 not prosper, and their flocks shall be 
was the want 
ling and sti: uore as 

C h r i s tians , for the edification of their own souls. 

i apt to study them,* 1 add 
M Barely to Bad ool 

out living upon the truth - I f we eat not 

contents to others, 
Spirit will not DM 

eoonswy as. If w ^eriptures a* ' 

■. ith them, the more 
! leel their importance ; but if otherwise, oar 
familiarity with the word will he like th 

.ih death— it will wear away all sense 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 445 

of its importance from our minds. To enforce this 
sentiment, Prov. xxii, 17, 18 was referred to : • Ap- 
ply thine heart to knowledge : the words of the wise 
will be pleasant if thou keep them within thee ; they 
shall withal be fitted in thy lips.' Another reason 
was, our want of being emptied of self-sufficiency. In 
proportion as we lean upon our own gifts, or parts, 
or preparations, we slight the Holy Spirit ; and no 
wonder that, being grieved, he should leave us to do 
our work alone." 

THE KING'S DAUGHTER. 
One day a poor pious woman called upon two ele- 
gant young ladies, who received her with Christian 
affection, regardless of her poverty, and sat down in 
the drawing-room to converse with her upon reli- 
gious subjects. While thus employed, their brother, 
a gay youth, came in, and appeared astonished to 
see his sisters thus situated and employed. One of 
them instantly started up, saying, " Brother, don't 
be surprised ; this is a King's daughter, though she 
has not yet got on her fine clothes." 

ONE THING WANTING. 
" I remember," says Mr. Hervey, " a very inge- 
nious gentleman once showed me a composition in 
manuscript, which he intended for the press, and 
asked my opinion. It was moral, it was delicate, it 
was highly finished ; but I ventured to tell him there 
was one thing wanting, the name and merits of the 
divinely excellent Jesus, without which I feared the 



MISCELLANEOUS. 

(Joel of heaven would not accompany it w 

tad without wlm-h I was sure the enemy of 

souls ii it to scorn. 1 

seemed with surprise. " The i 

Araatrati 

: make r« is <emeai 

read of our ; 
will be obstructed I". Him who has all hearts 

and events in 1 He further adds, 

on publishing Theron aad Aspasio, u I am w 

put the matter to ■ trial, I '.ise the 

far from secreting the amiable 

,1 the adora 1 
I them in prand and i 

■ 

do with the events of the world — if ac< 

;;:ive no dtp 
on Ins .smile, then 1 am content, ontent, 

to he without tin :. 

" I REM 

i n 1 was at into a glass- 

and, standing reiy aiti d several 

masses of burning u'la.ss, of various 

Hid put it n, 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 447 

furnace, then he put it into a second, and then into 
a third. I said to him, ' Why do you put it through 
so many fires]' He answered, ' O, sir, the first 
was not hot enough, nor the second, therefore we 
put it into a third, and that will make it transparent."' 
This furnished Mr. Whitefield with a useful hint, 
that we must be tried, and exercised with many 
fires, until our dross be purged away, and we are 
made fit for the owner's use. 

THE SPIRIT GIVETH LIFE. 
" I remember," says Rowland Hill, " once convers- 
ing with a celebrated sculptor, who had been hewing 
out a block of marble, to represent one of our great 
patriots — Lord Chatham." " There," said he, " is 
not that a fine form]" "Now, sir," said I, "can 
you put life into it 1 else, with all its beauty, it is 
Still but a block of marble." Christ, by his Spirit, 
puts life into a beauteous image, and enables the 
man he forms to live to his praise and glory. 

"THAT NO FLESH SHOULD GLORY IN HIS 

PRESENCE." 
"I am by birth," said a converted Hindoo, when 
addressing a number of his countrymen, " of an in- 
significant and contemptible caste ; so low, that if a 
Brahmin should chance to touch me, he must go 
and bathe in the Ganges for the purpose of purifica- 
tion ; and yet God has been pleased to call me, not 
merely to the knowledge of the gospel, but to the 
high office of teaching it to others. My friends, do 



448 MISCELLANEOUS. 

m the reason of God's conduct 1 It is this : 

learned Brahmins, 

and ma« a *"«*• suc- 

•-. by- slanders would have 

vas the amazing learning an, and 

• -haracter. t caase ; 

but Ml 

i one thinks of ascribing any 
; and God, as is his due, has all the 

M I am affrighted and confoun(led, ,, says the infidel 
Hum,., M with thai forlorn condition in which I am 
by my philosophy. Wk Sroad I 

pate, con tradid 
When I turn my t-ye inward, I rind no- 
thing but .luubt Mid 

what ' To what I MStODCe, 

ami 10 what condition shall I return ! I am con- 
fbsjnded with Jtiona, and b« 

■••minion nn. 

eoTiroood irith the dttafjsl dari. 



